Persona 3P: Two Sides of Fate
by sweetandspicygirl
Summary: Hi! I've always felt like Persona3P never got the ending it deserved, so I've decided to give it a part 2 with Minako as the main character. Also, I've added a new character, Kieske, as a bit of a request from a friend. It's a Minako x Shinjiro at first, but trust me, there's more later on! All characters except Kieske are from Persona3P. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
1. Prolouge

Persona 3P: Two Sides of Fate

_**Almost three years after Graduation Day, March 3 2010…**_

It was nighttime in the city of Iwatodai, Japan. People were bustling about as usual, going about their own business. Among a crowd getting out of the train station was a rather ruff-looking man in a simple maroon pea coat and a black beanie. His expression seemed sullen; he had a scowl on his calm face. The familiar sounds of traffic, chatter and the occasional music coming from the restaurants and cars was in the air. The man continued, eventually parting from the crowd and walking up another, less populated street. After a while, all that could be heard were his footsteps and the barking of a dog here and there. He didn't notice a small, blue butterfly flutter past him.

_Burn my dread~_

He froze, listening to the familiar lyric. A pause, then another:

_Burn my dread~_

He closed his eyes, picturing, almost against his will, the round and bright red headphones he had heard that song from. He began picturing auburn hair tied up in the back…a smile and the crest of Gekkoukan High on a girl's uniform…

Suddenly his eyes snapped open. The man's scowl turned into a saddened frown as his grey eyes bore into the distance. There was a pained expression on them. He remained on that same spot, listening. When he heard no response, no music, he continued on. He must've imagined it. Finally, he stopped in front of a small house. A moment later, he unlocked it and stepped inside. He was about to shut the door when it entered, fluttering to the edge of the opened door and perching there. He stared at it. For a butterfly, it had a weird, unnatural shade of blue. Then it was gone, leaving the way it came. The man closed the door.

"Hey, I'm back."

The sound of house keys being tossed on the table was his only response. He didn't seem surprised, as he was used to this. It was the ringing of his house phone that broke the otherwise remaining silence. He looked at the caller ID before picking up.

"Yeah?"

* * *

"Mitsuru, did I remember to pack everything? I could've sworn that I had forgotten something…"

Axel Kieske stood with his cell phone in hand in front of the master bedroom of their house.

He was a slim, fit man with dark black hair that would almost be a military cut if it weren't for the small bang that reached his eyebrows (which were thin and long). He had light, slightly tanned skin and a small scar on his cheek. Dark brown eyes completed his look, making him look very broody while his thin-lipped smile betrayed a mischievous nature. A wedding ring resided around a finger on his left hand.

Mitsuru tucked a strand of her dark red hair out of her face before tossing him a bottle of pills. He glanced at them with a satisfied smile.

"Ah, my meds. Thanks honey."

"Of course. And don't forget to give Koromaru-san his tranquilizers before putting him in his dog crate."

"Bah! I'm telling you, he'll be fine."

"You know he gets anxious when he hears the jet engine."

"Mitsuru, it's our private jet. He can run around the entire flight tearing at the furniture for all we care and it wouldn't cost us a thing."

However, seeing how her eyebrows were raised, he gave in. He took another bottle of pills and walked over to a fluffy white-haired dog sleeping on the couch. He was a medium-sized dog and when Kieske woke him up the canine blinked through deep red eyes. Even though a bit unusual for his kind, Koromaru was a very sweet looking dog and happily barked when he saw his friend.

"Enjoy your nap, boy?" asked Kieske as he petted the soft white coat.

He was answered by another cheerful bark. Taking out a dog treat and putting the pill inside, he gave it to the dog, which ate it whole in one bite. He was patted on the head.

"Good boy. Hey, by the way; why isn't Fuuka coming with us?"

"She said she'd be content with a regular flight and did not want to cause us trouble. Even when I told her otherwise."

"That Fuuka; she's too docile. When we come back, she's coming with us dammit, even if I have to kidnap her to do it."

With Kieske, Mitsuru knew that was no idle threat. Seeing as Koromaru's eyes were already drooping, she picked him up to tuck him in his crate. Meanwhile, Kieske was dialing a number.

"Yeah?"

"Hey there, Shinji." replied Kieske with a smile as he teased Shinjiro with his childhood name. In actuality, Shinjiro only let Akihiko (his closest friend for 17 years) call him that. He was awarded with an annoyed sigh from the other end before getting a reply.

"What is it, Kieske?"

"Sheesh, no need to get your beanie in a bunch, Shinji." Another sigh. "Relax; I'm just checking to make sure someone will be there when we come over."

"Don't tell me you thought I forgot like some idiot?"

"Noooo, I just want to be greeted by a generally happy person. And surprisingly, between you and Aigis, that'd be you."

"Are you done with your crappy jokes?"

"Nope. Not at all."

Kieske was clearly enjoying this little exchange.

"Anyway, you're gonna have to deal with it. I'm meeting Junpei and Yukari after work so they can help me bring the food."

"You mean so Junpei can help you with the food."

"Whatever. Look, Aigis will let you in and you guys can settle in your rooms."

"Shinjiro, I'm a married man. We're settling in _one_ room."

"Kieske, I don't give a damn. Just be ready to eat when I come back."

"Yeah, yeah; I got it. So, when is our little professional boxer coming back?"

"Aki's coming the day after you all get here. He already called."

"Cool, so the gang's going to be all there. See ya soon,_ Shinji_."

The click of the phone let Kieske know that Shinjiro had hung up the second he finished. Not surprised, he turned to Mitsuru and said gleefully:

"Ready to go?"

"You've irritated him again, didn't you?"

"Maybe a little."

* * *

Shinjiro hung the phone, his scowl returning to his face. Kieske was an idiot. Then again, he always knew that. After all, he had known the bastard for a while now.

Axel Kieske, from what Aki had told him and what he had experienced, had encountered SEES as an assassin in league with Strega. However, unlike Strega, he had control of his Persona and didn't use the pills. (Not to mention he was waiting for the opportunity to kill them.) Kieske had won a ridiculous profit as an assassin for regular clients around America and Japan, using both weapons and his Persona to eliminate his targets. When he first went against SEES after discovering the existence of a Persona-user that was more powerful than him (and, more to his surprise, a female) he was bloodthirsty and cruel. SEES had discovered that they had been targets for a while, especially the Kirijo family. It was only when their strongest member joined that he had decided to begin his attacks. If what Aki said was true, the guy had even stalked them in their sleep, toying with them (especially Mitsuru) and ultimately scaring the crap out them. However, everything changed when Kieske had a showdown with the very Persona-user he wanted to destroy and lost. The fearless leader of SEES decided against killing him and brought him instead as a prisoner of SEES in the dorm.

And Kieske couldn't put his head around it for the life of him.

After a while of getting to know their leader (she had to guard him the nights they didn't go to Tartarus) he grew an admiration and respect for her. Slowly, he began turning into a decent person as his dark past was revealed. Turns out, he was out to get the Kirijos because he had been at a playground as a kid when the accident happened and got caught in the explosion. It didn't kill him, but his mother had been a researcher and died, while his spine became permanently damaged for life. He had to use a device to keep it together, which ironically was manufactured by Kirijo. Soon, he agreed to make-up for his wrong doings by helping SEES and was actually reliable doing so. (Besides, regular prison wouldn't have held him anyways.) It was around that time that he discovered he had a thing for Mitsuru, and by the time Shinjiro joined SEES they were actually together and Kieske was going to Gekkokun. Kieske was completely changed by then. Sure, he got violent sometimes, but he was controllable. And Shinjiro had to admit, he was a hell of a fighter.

Shinjiro took out a pot from the kitchen and began putting together his dinner. One would think that being a chef all day would make him sick of cooking; but not for him. Cooking was an art for him. It was his passion to bring ingredients together, to see everything fall into place and smell the aroma of an amazing meal come together by his own hands. Besides, it was one of the only things that could distract him from his misery. It was always there in his house. He passed it every day; he saw it in that room Aigis stayed in.

Why the hell couldn't she just deal with it? He had to. He was forced to. So…why?

He ate his meal in silence and alone as usual. His one almost cheerful thought was that, at least, tomorrow the old team would be together again. (Ken was coming too.) They were staying over for a vacation. So he'd at least have a distraction. Not to mention, it would be what _she _would have wanted.

After cleaning up and putting everything away, he decided to get Aigis. Bracing himself for the scene he knew he'd see, he walked up the stairs and at the end of the long hallway. Even though small on the outside, the house itself could fit a lot of people. It only added to the lonely atmosphere that dominated the place as he walked by empty rooms. Finally, he opened the door at the end of the hall and stepped inside.

Aigis was in the room, standing as usual. Even though she was a robot, she had a very human face, her light blue eyes and short blonde hair making her very girl-like. She did nothing to acknowledge that he entered. She was too focused on the bed in that room. The lights were off before Shinjiro entered, so he assumed she hadn't even bothered to turn them on. He stood there a few moments, waiting, until finally deciding to snap her out of it.

"Have you even bothered going out of the room?"

She blinked and looked at him for the first time as if finally registering the fact that he was there.

"Oh…Welcome back, Shinjiro-san." she said halfheartedly.

"So you haven't. Jeez, I should've known."

She said nothing to defend this, but stared down at the floor.

"You know, standing here all day and being miserable ain't going to help." he said roughly.

"Yes, I know."

"That's what you tell me every damn day. Obviously, you don't know. Or you don't want to listen to it."

"But I…can't just-"

She stopped, trying to hold back tears. Shinjiro sighed, holding his beanie as he always did in these situations. How she could cry all day and still have a fresh supply of them beat him. Still…he knew she really couldn't help it. She had it just as bad as he did.

"Just…get some rest. Go to sleep mode or whatever you do. I'll take care of her."

She seemed surprised at this, but then gave him a small, grateful smile as she stepped out of the room, leaving Shinjiro alone. Well, not completely alone.

He made sure Aigis was completely gone before knelling down next to the sleeping person on the bed. She was a small, petite woman with loose auburn hair. She was pale and still, lying face-up on the bed. The only proof of her being alive was her slow breathing. She was attached to some medical equipment that beeped quietly around her. Their fearless leader.

"Minako" whispered Shinjiro as he stroked a strand of hair out of her face. He shut his eyes 'cause he wasn't going to cry, damn it, he had shed too many tears for this and they didn't change anything. It wasn't going to wake her up.

"You know, you're really taking your time, aren't you?" he asked weakly. "It's been almost three years now. When are you gonna decide to get up? Everything's a real drag without you around."

He got no response, as usual. He let out a shaking breath. This was stupid. It's not like she could hear him. He was wasting his time. Yet he knew he'd never stop. Not until she answered and woke up, looking up at him with those bright red eyes of hers. Until then, he couldn't stop. So he took off his shoes, lied down next to her, carefully wrapped an arm around her and wished her goodnight.


	2. Chapter 1: A Wake-Up Call

Persona 3P: Two Sides of Fate

**Fate is creating the path to another adventure! Now, I realize it must be a bit ****exhausting to go through so many explanations when this is an adventure/romance, so I thank you for bearing with me! After Chapter 2, the adventure part will begin, I promise! Until then, please enjoy!**

* * *

"Aigis, we're home!" sang Kieske.

He, Mitsuru and a pale woman (with light bluish-green hair that matched her eyes) stood in front of the house with their suitcases in hand. In a matter of seconds the door opened as Aigis stepped out to greet them with a saddened smile. The woman, holding her suitcase with one hand, jumped up to hug Aigis.

"Aigis! It's been awhile! It's so good to see you again!" she exclaimed happily.

At this, a truly cheerful smile spread across the robotic maiden's face. She hugged back.

"I'm happy to see you too, Fuuka. You, Mitsuru-san and Kieske-kun all look well."

"There's no need to be so formal towards me Aigis; you know you can just call me Mitsuru." said the long-haired redhead.

"Yeah, what did we tell you last time? Oh jeez, you look neglected; don't tell me you forgot to do regular maintenance on yourself again?"

When Aigis didn't reply, he sighed.

"Well, what do you think, Fuuka?" he asked his friend as they all stepped inside with their luggage.

"It's probably just minor stuff like a few rusted bolts and such. I'll take a look and patch you up, okay?" said Fuuka as she looked at Aigis.

"Oh…thank you." replied Aigis gratefully.

"Humph, you could use it. So, is Mr. Joyful here yet?" asked Kieske as he looked around.

"Who?" asked Aigis.

Fuuka chuckled.

"He means Shinjiro-senpai."

"Oh, no; he's coming after work. He wanted me to remind you that someone should pick up Ken-kun for him, because he will be coming late." said Aigis.

"Yeah, he had told me but I just wanted to make sure. So, who's going to pick up Ken?" asked Kieske.

"I'll take care of it." said Mitsuru as she stepped into the long corridor. "After I get our things settled in our room. Kieske, the luggage."

Kieske let out the special sigh he used for these kinds of situations before grabbing the suitcases and replying:

"Yes, dear."

"Oh! Kieske-kun, watch out!" exclaimed Fuuka.

"Huh? Ah, right; sorry 'bout that, boy."

Kieske carefully put down the dog crate that had sat on top of the luggage. Fuuka opened it, welcoming a happy Koromaru that licked her face. She giggled.

"Hello, Koro-chan." said Aigis with a smile.

A few seconds later, he leaped from Fuuka's arms to Aigis' giving her the same greeting he had given to Fuuka. Aigis cuddled him, whispering:

"I'm glad to see you again as well, Koro-chan."

Kieske grinned to himself as he watched the two girls play with the dog. However, after hearing his wife's call he began dragging everything with him as fast as he could.

Don't get him wrong; he loved Mitsuru with all his being. He knew that she only called him by his last name like that because she was so used to formality. When they were in private, though, she was always call him by his first name. Two years of marriage and he still felt his insides blush every time she said "Axel". And, hey, he didn't really think she was ever the type for heavy lifting. She was a Kirijo, after all. It didn't help that he had continued to pamper her through their marriage. However, if it made her happy, weight lifting was a small price to pay.

"Which room…are we staying in?" he asked, gasping, as he reached her.

She pointed to a room that was near the end of the corridor. Seeing as he had no objections, she grabbed a bag and lead him to the room, where he dropped (carefully, of course) everything in a corner. Her eyes were scanning the entire space, probably to make sure it was an adequate choice. After a few seconds, she seemed satisfied.

"We'll unpack later. I should probably go get Amada…"

She trailed off, seeing that he was no longer there. She looked out into the hall, but there was no sign of him. Then she saw _that _door had been opened. She froze, staring at that direction and biting a bit of her lip. A few seconds passed before she was able to get a hold of her senses and enter the room.

Kieske was sitting on the very edge of the bed, watching Minako with sad eyes. Mitsuru closed the door behind her and was surprised to see her hands trembling when she let go. Kieske's eyes met Mitsuru's when he noticed her enter. He gave her what she knew was meant to be a reassuring smile, but in actuality seemed more broken than anything else.

"You know, you can go on ahead; I know it's hard for you to be here." he said.

"It's hard for you too. Besides, I wouldn't be much of a wife if I left you in your time of need, would I?"

"Heh, true. Eh, I can't help myself; I have to visit her personally. I mean, I know she'd want me too. At least, I'd like to think so. She's my sister, after all."

Mitsuru felt herself smile a little. Of course, she wasn't really his sister. He had given to calling her that ever since his friendship with Minako had gotten so strong, you couldn't tell they weren't siblings by the way they treated each other. Then again, Mitsuru couldn't have thought of anyone on the team who wasn't close to their dear Minako, herself included.

They were both startled by the sound of Koromaru walking over to the sleeping girl. After a nudge with his nose, he jumped on the bed and cuddled next to Minako. He raised his head and blinked up at the two, as if making sure they meant no harm. Kieske laughed.

"Man's best friend to the end, huh, boy?"

He barked.

"Well, I think she's in good hands now." said Mitsuru with a chuckle.

"Yeah, you'd better go get Ken or old Shinjiro might have a hissy fit when he gets back."

She shook her head before replying:

"I'll be back soon."

She left the room, and Kieske followed a few moments later. He looked back a moment though, and saw Koromaru gently licking Minako's face. He whined a bit, but returned to his position near her side. He put his head down on the bed and watched Kieske.

Kieske smiled and finished closing the door.

* * *

The moon was already becoming visible in the almost nighttime sky when Fuuka heard the unmistakable sound of their friend's Junpei Iori's voice coming from the outside of the house.

"Junpei-kun is here!" she exclaimed.

Ken Amada, who had been watching television, stood up excitedly. Ken had short, light brown hair that had an unusual elevation in the front. He was thirteen, and by far the smallest of everyone there. His large, brown eyes were bright with anticipation. He ran to the nearest window and yelled:

"Yukari-san and Shinjiro-san are with him too!"

Sure enough, everyone (except Aigis, who was in sleep mode due to her repairs) heard the rough voice of Shinjiro say:

"Will you calm the hell down? You're gonna knock down all the food!"

"Aw, I can't help it! I feel like a little kid again!" replied the energetic Junpei.

"That's because you're acting like one!" snapped what everyone recognized as Yukari's voice.

There was a fast and loud knocking on the door.

"Hey! Anyone there? Hellooo?"

"Of course they're there, Stupei, the lights are on." said Yukari with increased irritation.

"Come on! Open up!" yelled Junpei.

After everyone inside had finished laughing at Junpei's emotional outburst, Fuuka was finally able to reach the door and open it, allowing their friends to enter. The first person to get in was none other than Junpei, a funny-looking guy with a goatee and his favorite navy-blue baseball cap on. His eyes were also brown, but you could hardly look at them now that he was bouncing all around. He had two large metal trays of food balanced on his arms; they seemed to be on the verge of falling.

"Hey, everyone! What's up? Long time no see, huh? Man I can't tell ya how long the trip over here was with all this stuff! Err, hey, Shinjiro-san where do I put these?"

Fuuka chuckled and Ken said:

"Junpei-san, you're going to run out of breath if you talk so much at once."

The scowl had returned to Shinjiro's face as he pointed to the table while balancing three of his own containers on his arm. Junpei managed to successfully put them on the table without spilling anything.

"Doing your part, eh Yukari?" asked Kieske as he saw the plastic bags in her hands instead of trays.

"Oh, shut it, Kieske. Someone had to carry them." she answered as Shinjiro put the remaining trays on the table. "Ah! Fuuka, Mitsuru!"

Yukari squealed as she hugged her friends together. Fuuka returned the gesture along with Mitsuru (after an awkward pause out of not knowing how to react).

"Hey, what about me?" asked Junpei as he hugged all three of them together.

"Gwah! Junpei! You're not a girl!" exclaimed Yukari.

"So what?" he answered, not bothered in the least.

Meanwhile, as Ken began chatting with Junpei, Shinjiro seemed to be casually searching the ground as if looking for someone. Kieske came up to him with a smile.

"Looking for someone? A white, fluffy someone perhaps?" he asked Shinjiro.

"Maybe I am."

"Aw, I'm hurt, Shinji. Not even going to say hi to me?"

"Hey. Now where's the dog?" he replied dryly.

"Just being a good guard dog and watching over someone. But if you miss him that much…"

Kieske whistled with his two fingers. A second later, the sound of padded feet (well, paws) could be heard running down the hall. As soon as the white canine took notice of Shinjiro, he made a beeline for him. He went up to him and placed his two paws on the tall man's legs. Shinjiro smiled and scratched the back of Koromaru's ears. The little dog's tail wagged.

"Hey, there boy." said Shinjiro.

Everyone was suddenly interrupted by Junpei's loud voice saying:

"Alright! Now that we're all almost here, and Akihiko-senpai isn't coming until tomorrow, I say we dig in!"

There were many voices of agreement. Before anyone could blink twice, they were all sitting down and having a great dinner. The atmosphere was lively. Even Shinjiro had to admit to himself he felt a lot happier than he had since he had the house to himself and Aigis. (He usually also lived with Ken and Akihiko, but Akihiko had went to that match. He had gone to preparation for the last three weeks plus the match itself. Since Shinjiro himself came home late and Ken didn't want to keep Aigis away from taking care of Minako, the boy had decided to stay at a dorm until Akihiko returned.) He didn't even seem to mind the sound of Yukari's and Fuuka's giggling or Junpei's stupid comments. Okay, that's a lie, but he could live with it.

"No, Koro-chan! You can't have noodles, you'll get sick. Here, have some beef." giggled Fuuka as the dog ate it whole.

"Gosh, Fuuka; you're spoiling him too much." said Yukari, smiling.

"If you think he's spoiled now, wait till Shinjiro starts cooking for him. I almost had to buy a bigger kennel for the ride home last time." teased Kieske.

"Don't be such an idiot. He was just as skinny as when he came." snapped Shinjiro as everyone else laughed.

"And that bothers you." replied Kieske as he pointed his fork at him. "That's why he can't live here with you. You'd turn him into a big, fat spoiled house dog. I mean, he'd move even less than Minako—ah."

Before he even finished, Kieske knew he had accidently said that one thing he shouldn't have. Shinjiro quickly stood up, his chair almost falling back. Kieske stood too, trying to fix what he had said. Everyone else gave each other nervous looks.

"Hey, man, you know that's not what I-"

"Forget it, Kieske. Just don't say anything." muttered Shinjiro.

He walked out of the dining room and into his room in the hallway. Everyone heard the door slam shut. Kieske sank back down on his chair. He held his hands to his forehead.

"I'm such a dumbass…" he said.

"It was a mistake. Don't be so hard on yourself." replied Mitsuru.

"Doesn't change the fact that I ruined his night." answered Kieske.

"I'm sure you didn't do that, Kieske-kun. It must be very hard for Shinjiro-san to see Minako-chan like that every day." said Fuuka sadly.

"It's hard on all of us, though…" whispered Ken quietly.

No one knew what to say to this. Eventually, they were able to bring some cheery conversation back into the meal. Although, a feeling of sadness still lingered.

In his room, it was all Shinjiro could do not to bang his head against the wall. He felt his breathing get harder and harder. He gasped, taking off his coat and found himself grasping around under his black long-sleeved shirt until he touched the scars of his bullet wounds. One was much more bruised than the other. It was an unconscious habit of his to do so. It reminded him that he was okay and healthy. But more importantly, it reminded him that _she _had saved him.

He didn't know when, but eventually he went to sleep.

* * *

"Where the hell am I?"

Kieske found himself in a strange place. Everything around him was a dark blue with a hint of a lighter shade in the distance. He seemed to be walking on water, or something like it. When he walked, the ground (?) created little waves around his feet. It reminded him of the kind only raindrops emitted in ponds. He could see something in front of him, something bright and golden. If he walked a little closer, he knew he would be able to find out what it was. After a few minutes, he was right in front of it.

"What is this?!" he whispered in awe.

The first thing he noticed was a giant egg (or was it a cocoon?) being held over the ground by golden chains. But what really held his attention was what was at the end of all those chains: Minako. Her eyes were closed, she was still in her school uniform from three years ago, and her arms were crossed over her chest. There were shackles on her wrists and ankles that made Minako looked much like Yukari's old persona, Io. From what Kieske could tell, Minako seemed to be keeping the weird cocoon-egg thing at bay.

Whatever the reason she was there, something deep inside told him he needed to free her.

Not knowing how he would do it, he approached the girl and touched her cuffs to at least see how strong they were. He gasped as a burning sensation reached his fingers. His hand recoiled, but not before seeing the chains disintegrate in front of his eyes. The cocoon floated upwards until it disappeared from sight. Minako lie motionless on the floor. Before he could reach her, she began sinking into the ground itself, and Kieske could only grasp at her hand before it disappeared with the rest of her.

"No!" he gasped as he woke up in bed, covered in sweat.

"Axel, what's wrong?" asked Mitsuru, whom he had just woken up.

He told her about his dream. She seemed a bit confused about it at first, but ended up saying:

"I doubt it amounted to anything. Dreams can be very realistic sometimes. You shouldn't worry about it."

"I don't know…there was something too real about it."

"You're just worried about her." she assured him before kissing him. "Let's try to get some rest. Tomorrow, we're all going around town, remember?"

"Yeah, you're right. Goodnight, honey."

She cuddled up to him and fell back asleep, and he did too; but not before wondering just what his dream had meant.

* * *

"Are you sure you can't come the entire day, Shinjiro-san?" asked Yukari as everyone was getting ready to go, except for Shinjiro and Ken.

"Can't. Still have to work, at least until noon. We're still pretty low on staff." he replied. "Besides, I have to wait for Aki to come here too. He said he'd home around then, and he wants me to meet him before we go with you guys."

"And I wanted to greet him too." added Ken.

(Akihiko had become Ken's legal guardian shortly after he graduated from Gekkoukan, in order for Ken to be able to stay in touch with everyone.)

"Don't worry about it, Yukari; noon will come before you know it." said Kieske.

Shinjiro seemed to have not held anything against him over last night, so the atmosphere was by far lighter that morning than it was yesterday.

"What about Aigis? Are you taking her with you?" asked Shinjiro.

"No way, she still has to stay on sleep mode to recover." replied Kieske.

"She'll be pissed when she wakes up, you know." warned Shinjiro.

"Eh, whatever. Well, see you guys' later." said Kieske as he went out the door with Yukari.

Shinjiro turned his attention to Ken, who had turned on the television.

"You sure you'll be okay by yourself while I'm at work?" asked Shinjiro.

"Yes, I'll be okay; don't worry about me."

He cast a doubtful look before replying:

"Alright, but if you need anything, then call."

"Okay, I will."

After feeling satisfied, he decided to go to go visit Minako at the last minute. He entered the room just as Ken heard a commotion outside.

"Hey, come back!"

"No, Koro-chan! Get back here!"

"What's going on?" he asked before opening the door and seeing a white blur run past him.

He watched, shocked, as Koromaru ran into the room with Kieske running after him.

"Damn dog! Get back here! What the hell has gotten into you!?" yelled Kieske.

Meanwhile, a few moments before, Shinjiro sat next to Minako on the bed. He held her small, gentle hand in his. He bent over and kissed the top of her forehead gently. Then he stood up, still holding her hand. He finally let go, and was about to leave when he heard a sound from behind him. He quickly turned around, alarmed to see Minako's face scrunched up in pain and groaning.

"Minako!" he exclaimed, rushing back to her side and feeling her forehead for a temperature.

At that moment, Koromaru ran inside the room and jumped on the bed. He seemed to be trying to get to Minako. He was barking a lot for some reason. At that moment, Kieske ran in, and seeing Minako's state asked Shinjiro:

"Shinji, what the hell did you do!?"

"What? Hey, don't look at me, she just got like this!"

"Don't just feel her forehead like some retard! Get the blanket off!"

Ignoring the urge to kill Kieske for daring to call him a retard, he pulled the blanket of Minako, revealing the pretty pink and red flower print sundress she was wearing. It seemed airy enough, and her temperature was fine, so what was wrong?

"Damn it, Koromaru; shut up for a second, will you?!" snarled Shinjiro.

"What's that?" asked Kieske.

Before Shinjiro could ask, something came out of where Minako's heart was, so fast that Shinjiro could only register a weird cocoon floating away. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared. They both exchanged looks.

"Did you see that thing?" questioned Shinjiro.

"I think so…did it just come out of Minako?"

"Uh…ugh…"

Kieske and Shinjiro froze. Koromaru stopped barking and walked over to Minako, licking her face gently. Shinjiro could only watch, unable to react, as Minako began to blink her eyes open. He felt his body numb as he finally,_ finally _saw her bright red eyes open for the first time in three years. He felt like he could faint as he heard her voice for the first time in so long…

"Koromaru…? Ah-ha, hey calm down. Hi to you too!"

"Minako?" croaked Shinjiro.

She gasped, looking straight into his eyes as she noticed him. He fell on his knees next to her, shaking and unable to think of a single thing to say. He saw an immense, almost impossible joy in her eyes.

"Shinjiro! It's really you! You're…you're alright! Oh, Shinjiro, I'm so happy!"

She began crying and hugged him as tightly as she could. He returned the gesture, laughing at the absurdity of _her_ crying about _him_ being alright and also just happy that she was awake. Hell, screw happy. He never felt a higher sense of joy in his entire life before, not even when he had run to see her on the roof that day. Because he knew that now she was with him. And he knew that now, he wasn't ever going to let them be apart again.

"Hey, come on, Minako. Don't cry. I'm here now. I ain't leaving again, I swear."

And he meant it.


	3. Chapter 2: The Trouble with Nyx

**Persona 3P: Two Sides of Fate**

**Hey, everyone! Okay, here's Chapter 2 of my FanFiction Persona Series (all rights reserved in the story intro). So you know, he's not going to be my only original character. But trust me, I will do my best to uphold the spirit and elements of Persona 3P that we all know and love! Until the next chapter, please enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey, I'm here too you know." said Kieske.

Shinjiro tried to frown at him, but felt so happy he ended up smirking at him. Minako, who had been in his arms, looked up at Kieske and smiled.

"Hello, Kieske-kun. Sorry about that…" she said meekly.

"Yeah, well…just move over, Shinji. I want to give my sister a hug."

Not waiting for him to move, he shoved Shinjiro out of the way and embraced Minako. She laughed, surprised. A second later, however they both heard her suck in her breath in pain. Kieske let her go, and when he did he saw the needle that connected her to the medical equipment had moved. He had completely forgotten about that. She looked down at the needle in her hand with a puzzled expression. She then took in the sight of the equipment around her.

"What's this?" she finally asked.

The two guys exchanged looks of unease, but said nothing. She continued, unaware of the change of atmosphere.

"Where am I? This doesn't look like any room in the dorm."

Kieske finally spoke, talking in a gentle voice.

"Minako, this isn't the dorm. Do you…have any idea how long you've been asleep?"

She gave him a blank expression that answered his question.

"You remember Graduation Day, right? When you were on the roof with Aigis and me?" asked Kieske carefully.

She nodded.

"I remember…Shinjiro came too…I was so happy, but I couldn't say anything because I felt too…tired…" she muttered, her face reflecting the strange sleepiness that had overcame her that day.

Kieske swallowed before continuing.

"W-well, you, uh, fell asleep. And…you haven't woken up for a little longer than you might have thought."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Kieske seemed to be really tongue-tied now. Shinjiro decided to say it, seeing how difficult it seemed for Kieske to speak.

"It's been three years since that day. You've been in a coma the entire time. Right now, you're at the house I share with Ken, Aki and Aigis. Mitsuru had the equipment moved here so you wouldn't have to stay at the hospital."

Her eyes grew wide in shock, like two large Christmas ornaments. She didn't reply. Kieske quickly said:

"We're not really sure what happened, but it's not cancer or anything terminal like that, so there's at least that. The doctors couldn't figure it out either. Eventually, Mitsuru got a doctor that knew about the Dark Hour (we weren't sure about it, but we decided to take precautions just in case) and he couldn't put his finger on what was wrong. Still, he did say that it might have something to do with…with Nyx. Hey, are you okay!?"

At the mention of Nyx, Minako's face seemed to have drained of color. Her thoughts were racing all at once; she had felt like she had an idea of what Kieske had told her, but it was the name that had snapped everything into place.

"_Of course! Why hadn't I remembered? I know why I was asleep…I knew where I was. I was preventing Nyx from affecting the world. I had to become the seal. And I woke up because…!" _

All they could hear of her thoughts was a few utters of "Oh, no" come out of her mouth. Shinjiro held her shoulders in a firm grip, as if to prevent her from passing out. His cold, steel-colored eyes gave a look that bore into hers, trying to calm her down as he said:

"Minako, calm down. Take a deep breath, alright? Now, just take your time and tell us what's wrong."

"The seal. The seal holding Nyx is broken…" she muttered in a still high-pitched voice.

"It's broken? What are you talking about?" asked Shinjiro.

He had not been there during the final battle against the dammed Nyx; he himself was (ironically) in a comma. Like most everything that happened when he had not been in SEES or during his coma, Aki had to explain what had occurred. However, even though he had been there, Aki admitted to the fact that none of them except Minako had been able to fight Nyx. Apparently, she had been able to beat Nyx and 'seal' it. They had suspected that the coma was the result of this. The only thing Shinjiro didn't get was how the hell that worked and how no one could've done anything. Then again, knowing Aki and everyone else, they probably couldn't.

"Whoa, hold on."

Shinjiro glanced at Kieske only to see that he had gone pale as well.

"Hold on for what? Why the hell do you look like you're gonna be sick too?" asked Shinjiro, who had begun to lose patience.

"Holy crap; I think I'm the one who released Nyx!"

"_Great, he has finally lost it."_ thought Shinjiro bitterly.

"Kieske, you freaking out right now isn't helping Minako."

He felt pissed when Kieske grabbed ahold of his coat and held his face in front of Shinjiro's. Kieske's eyes were just as panicked as Minako's; something about seeing the always confident Kieske in that state gave him an ominous feeling.

"You don't get it! I had a dream; I _saw _Nyx in Minako's seal. I didn't get what was going on, so I freed Minako from the chains that bound her with Nyx."

Shinjiro shoved him off, but took him more seriously than he had a few moments ago. Now that he had mentioned it, _something _had come out of Minako. Had that been Nyx?

"So are you telling me that this Nyx is back out there?"

A tense silence was his answer. Even Koromaru had stopped wagging his tail.

"I think-" began Kieske.

He was interrupted by Ken, who had finally drawn up the courage to enter the usually gloomy room. The kid's facial expression changed three times in five seconds: first came confusion, then surprise until at the last second a large grin spread upon his face. He ran over to Minako laughing.

"Minako-san! You're awake! I can't believe it!" exclaimed the boy before shyly embracing the red-eyed woman.

She returned the smile, and Shinjiro felt relief wash over him as he watch her return to her own cheerful self. All traces of anxiety had disappeared. Only Kieske remained shaken up; Shinjiro could tell that he was straining to control himself. Kieske wordlessly held her hand and took out the needle that connected her to the equipment. He made sure to put a gaze over her hand to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, Koromaru had begun to play with Minako and Ken, catching on to their cheerful atmosphere.

"Oh, Ken! You've gotten taller!" exclaimed Minako.

Ken smiled, puffing his chest in pride.

"Heh, you noticed! I've been drinking a lot of milk and Akihiko-san has been training me and-"

Kieske, who couldn't help himself despite his circumstances, said:

"Ken, the fact that you had to drink milk to get two and a half inches taller isn't something to brag about."

"It's three and a half." muttered Ken with a blush.

"Lay off." growled Shinjiro with a glare towards Kieske.

"I think it's great you've been working so hard, Ken." replied Minako.

The boy's face brightened again.

"Thanks, Minako-san. Ah, I better go tell everybody! They-they won't believe it!" yelled Ken as he ran out with Koromaru at his heels.

Kieske sighed, holding his fingers to his temple after he was sure that Ken had left.

"Kieske, about what you said-" began Shinjiro.

Kieske raised a hand to stop him.

"Not now. Look, my sis just woke up." He gestured to Minako, who remained attentive to his words. "The fact that we're still alive and talking means that we at least have some time. We'd be real assholes if we destroyed everyone's happiness by announcing this at this moment. Let's wait till everyone's reunited and settled down. Right, Minako?"

She blinked before replying:

"Yeah, we should wait until everyone's together."

Shinjiro didn't love the idea of waiting, but he eventually nodded in agreement, mainly because Minako seemed so…exhausted. Her eyes, which had been resting for so long, were weary. She was smiling, but Shinjiro could sense a strain on her, as if she had been walking up a mountain with a boulder over her shoulder instead of sleeping. Anger blossomed in his chest; he felt his fists close tightly. Kieske glanced at him, and for a moment they saw the same understanding in each other's eyes. The question that he and Kieske were burning to know was the same:

_What had Nyx done to her? _

"Hey, take it easy." said Shinjiro as Minako struggled to stand on her two feet.

He held on to her, steadying her as she tried to regain balance. She frowned in concentration and couldn't help but feel like an infant being taught how to walk. Then again, it wasn't hard to see why; she had gotten taller over the last few years. She felt like she woke up in someone else's skin. Her limbs felt too long and her abdomen too big. It took her a few moments to stand on her own and a few minutes for her to walk. Kieske observed quietly and commented:

"Man, you look like you're wearing Aigis's legs instead of your own, the way you're teetering like that. Oh, crap; I forgot about Aigis."

He hit his forehead with an open palm, cursing.

"Damn it, she's going to kill me. She's been glued to your side waiting for you to get up since you feel asleep. Not that she hasn't been enjoying her life because of that." he explained, saying the last sentence quickly after seeing the saddened stare Minako had given him when he mentioned Aigis in that state.

Minako wasn't completely convinced, but decided not to reply. She finally let go of the tall man as she took a couple of cautious steps. Grinning, she walked to the door as she stood straight up with confidence.

"That's better." she announced to them, her smile too contagious for them to resist some of their own.

They all suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps rushing towards them. It sounded familiar, just like the last day Minako was conscience on the rooftop…

Akihiko Sanada appeared at the doorway, panting as if he had run there. Everyone remained momentarily surprised at his sudden appearance, but no one felt as stunned as Minako.

He had changed during those three years. While his eyes were the same lighter grey along with his short hair, and he still had a bandage on the left side of his temple, there were significant differences. Not only was he almost as tall as Shinjiro, but he was by far much more muscular than he had been in high school. While she had expected him to remain a training addict, she hadn't thought that he would intensify his routine so much. She could see evidence of what seemed like scars (as if something had slashed him with claws) on his chest, which remained exposed due to his V-neck shirt. There was also a thin line of baldness starting from the edge of his hair and almost stretching to the top of his head, probably caused by another injury. Overall, she felt a mixture of surprise, happiness and unfamiliarity. Seeing how much her good friend had changed caused her to feel ill at ease.

Shinjiro was the first one to regain his composure after a few seconds.

"Hey, Aki; nice to see you-"

"Minako?! You're-you're really awake!" exclaimed Akihiko in disbelief, not aware of the fact that he had cut Shinjiro off.

While he felt irritation crawl up his skin again, Shinjiro decided not to beat Aki up for it, considering that it was a normal reaction for him after seeing Minako awake—

What…the hell…was he doing?!

For as soon as Akihiko had finished speaking, he rushed up to Minako and hugged her. Tightly. And not only that, but a good five seconds passed yet he remained with her in his arms, with his eyes closed as if in a moment of his own. Minako stood still, startled, and wondered with uncertainty if he was going to let go anytime soon…

Correction, he told himself, he was beating the shit out of Aki ten times for every second that passed as he hugged her. Excess muscles be dammed, he was taking that strength-obsessed idiot down if he didn't let Minako go in the next millisecond.

Kieske, sensing the murderous aura being emitted from his beanie-wearing friend, broke Akihiko away from Minako saying:

"Okay, Akihiko; let's let the poor girl breathe, shall we? She didn't wake up to have you invade her personal space."

"_Or anger her still-very-capable-of-wielding-an-axe boyfriend because you invaded her space faster than he did. Because newsflash Sanada; guys don't like it when you have a love moment with their girlfriends! Do you want the crap beaten out of you?" _added Kieske in his mind.

"Sorry," he replied meekly "I'm just so surprised. And right when I got back too."

"Yeah, what an amazing coincidence." grumbled Shinjiro.

If looks could kill, Akihiko would've been torn to ribbons by the steel daggers coming out of Shinjiro's eyes. Akihiko, however, didn't seem to notice it as much as he should.

"Hey, Shinji. Good to see everyone's here already, huh?" chirped Akihiko happily.

"Fantastic. So, how were those three weeks? I heard you almost lost the match." he said with a tone so cold it could've been painful.

"It was tough, but I was able to put myself together in time. He kind of rattled me, though; he had a really strong beginning offense."

"Funny how some idiot rattled you when you've been fighting monsters ever since you could remember."

Akihiko narrowed his eyes at Shinjiro's bitter remark and answered with an angered tone:

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Minako felt nervous by the sudden change in atmosphere and gave Kieske a side glance as if suggesting how they could stop the situation from worsening. He was about to interfere when he heard Shinjiro inhale to prepare an (without a doubt) unpleasant reply when everyone else all entered the room at once, like water filling a cup. Only Aigis was not there.

"Minako, you're awake! Oh, thank goodness!" exclaimed Fuuka, tears in her eyes.

"Minako-tan, there you are! Heh, what took you so long?" asked Junpei with a grin.

"I'll say! Oh, forget about that! You're here now and that's all that matters." added Yukari.

The former juniors hugged their leader all together, the group's laughter filling the room. Mitsuru smiled from where she was standing, but it was only when Yukari pulled her down with the rest that she started laughing as well. Shinjiro and Akihiko exchanged glares but said nothing to each other. They would finish it when they were alone. The chatter among friends continued for a while, even after they had let go.

"Geez, you've gotten really pale, and your hair's grown so much. If it weren't for your eyes, I'd barely recognize you." said Yukari.

"Oh, Yukari-san, I'm sure Minako will get back to her normal self in no time. Although, if you want, we could give you a haircut." added Fuuka.

"That sounds like a good idea." answered Minako gratefully.

In truth, the thought of her looking more like herself was comforting. Her hair was so long it almost covered her entire back. She never liked having her hair that length. The longest she had kept it was a bit longer than her shoulders, but she had preferred tying it up all the time.

"Cool, let's do it now, then! I'll get the scissors and we can get a blanket so the hair doesn't fall on you…" said Yukari as she began looking for the things.

"Um, are you girls sure you know what you're doing?" asked Junpei.

"Don't worry; it's just a simple cut, Junpei-kun. Yukari-chan and I took a class about a year ago on these things, so we'll be alright." explained Fuuka calmly.

"If you want, though, I could bring a stylist over here so you both don't have to go through the trouble." suggested Mitsuru.

Yukari chuckled as she came back.

"It's our pleasure, there's no problem."

Mitsuru seemed amused with the reply and smiled.

"Well, come on Minako!" said Yukari as she held Minako's hand to help her up.

"We're not going to do it here?"

"Nah, you've been in here too long. I was thinking we could give you the cut in the living room, if it's okay with Shinjiro-san."

Yukari turned her attention towards Shinjiro as she said this, waiting for his answer. He had been leaning against the wall near the door, watching Minako with the intensity of a hawk guarding something precious. His glare softened as she turned to him, however.

"No, you're right; she should walk around and get used to the place. Just make sure you clean the mess. "

"I will!" she said as she and Fuuka helped Minako up from the bed.

"You know, when you guys are done we should go to the sweets shop!" commented Junpei excitedly. "I mean, you can see the new shops in town too and you can see Shinjiro-san's restaurant."

Minako blinked in surprise before asking:

"Restaurant?"

Shinjiro turned his head away a little as he felt his cheeks color in embarrassment. He managed to mutter:

"I'm the head chef of a restaurant at the strip mall. It's no big deal, honestly…"

Akihiko felt himself smirk at this remark. It was so like Shinji to get so modest about these things. In actuality, Mitsuru had lent him the money for the restaurant as a business opportunity for the Kirijo Group about two years ago. Seeing as how Shinji never finished high school, she thought it'd be a good solution for him. He didn't accept the offer at first, as he hated the idea of leeching off anyone's money. However, Kieske and Mitsuru had convinced him in the end, saying that he would be able to pay them back in profit for the Group. Eventually he accepted. When the restaurant opened, it was a huge success. His gift for cooking and his control in the kitchen allowed him to pay back Mitsuru in what seemed like no time at all. Of course, Shinji would never brag about any of this; especially not in front of Minako.

"Don't be so modest, Shinjiro-san!" replied Junpei with a grin as he looked at Minako. "The place is a huge hit! People go in there all the time."

"Tch, whatever…"

Junpei only laughed at this reply, causing the chef to get a bit red.

"It was a good investment." added Mitsuru calmly. "I've always had faith in Aragaki's skill in the kitchen. I'm glad-"

"Hey, what's that noise?" interrupted Akihiko, who was suddenly alert.

Everyone stopped to listen. All at once, they heard the crashing of metal and the voice of Kieske, who had got out of the room to check on Aigis a few minutes before.

"Aigis, damn it; I said to wait!" he yelled. "Aigis, you're resting period isn't done!"

"I have to see her!" whined the familiar voice of Minako's mechanical maiden friend.

"Aigis…?" whispered Minako to herself.

"Oh for the love of-"

But they never heard the rest of what Kieske had to say, because that same moment the door slammed open with a sound that echoed throughout the room. A second later the _thud_ of a body hitting the floor was also heard, and it occurred to Minako that Shinjiro had been standing in the way of the door and had hit him with incredible force.

_Ouch. _

Before Minako could put second thoughts into Shinjiro, she only had a few seconds to notice it was Aigis who had burst in and horribly hurt him before she felt the sensation of being tackled by a horse at full speed. She felt the wind driven out of her lungs as Aigis hugged her with the delicacy of a boa constrictor crushing its prey. Aigis, however, did not have the least idea that she was harming her. Minako could feel little tears fall on her head as Aigis cried:

"Mina-Minako I-I am so sorry! I couldn't protect you! P-p-please forgive me!"

Minako, with the breath she could muster croaked:

"Aigis, you don't need to apologize; it's not your fault."

As Junpei helped him up, Shinjiro couldn't help but take in the scene. Taking out the fact that Aigis was literally crushing the life out of Minako, he couldn't help but feel like he could relate to how she was feeling. He had been there too, yet he didn't even notice that she was slipping away from him…

"Aigis, if I didn't love you so much I'd kill you for all the trouble you've caused in three minutes." said Kieske as he stomped up towards them holding a chunk of metal that seemed to be burning.

Aigis faced Kieske without letting go of Minako (although she did loosen her hug) and said:

"I'm sorry…I didn't want to cause any trouble."

Kieske opened his mouth to reprehend her further, but after one look at Aigis' tear-stricken eyes, just ended up saying:

"Ugh, never mind. Come on, I said its fine; don't cry, okay? There's another matter at hand anyway…"

"What do you mean?" asked Ken, who had been quietly playing with Koromaru until all the commotion began.

"Well, now that everyone's here, there's something important we have to talk about." announced Kieske nervously.

Half everyone (except Shinjiro and Minako) gave each other confused looks. Mitsuru observed Kieske skeptically before asking:

"Something important?"

Kieske took a deep breath before explaining everything from his dream to what had happened when Minako had woken up. Many of their fellow team members grew pale (like Fuuka) while others, like Akihiko remained calm during the entire thing. One thing was for certain, though; the atmosphere that was light before had turned tense, as if someone had drew a dark cloud on the sunny feelings that were there moments before.

"_This is exactly what I didn't want…" _thought Kieske sadly.

It was Mitsuru who first spoke, regaining her controlled composure as she said what everyone was thinking:

"Although, I had my doubts at first, it seems like whatever happened to Kieske wasn't a dream."

"So…it's really true…?" asked Fuuka nervously.

"Yes." replied Mitsuru in a clear, controlled voice. "I'm afraid it's what you all have feared. Nyx has once again returned."

There was a moment of silence with a shock so raw it felt like their bodies had become numb. Even Koromaru was still and tense.

"_Oh, Kieske…" _thought Minako as she saw Kieske's quivering body.

He seemed to be taking it the worst out of everyone; not only was he shaking, but his paled complexion had a look of utter nerve-wracking panic, distress, horror and shame all mixed in to one miserable sight. Minako knew that he would never do anything to purposely release their enemy, but he was taking full responsibility anyway. The sudden weight of this must've been crushing him.

"What are we going to do then?" asked Yukari apprehensively.

Mitsuru's expression changed from worry to immediate control. Despite themselves, most of the formers members of SEES gave a little smile at the sight. It was quite like Mitsuru to gain control of the situation when others weren't able to.

"If there has been no immediate reaction to Nyx's release then I can safely assume that it will probably take a while for it to strike. In which case, our first measure would be to gather information from our personal encounter with Nyx and any data the Group may have. Then we plan more effectively on what to do."

"Sounds like a plan." said Akihiko with the smirk he always put on when he faced the opportunity to fight.

It didn't matter what he was up against; danger, a strong foe, a demanding mission…he welcomed any challenge, no matter what it brought. If Nyx wanted to get back at them for what they did, he'd welcome it back with his fists.

Especially if it was after Minako.

"In that case, I'll begin the research right away. Luckily, I brought my laptop with me just in case. All my work is in there too, so…"

Fuuka was a bit embarrassed to admit that she had brought work with her just in case, but ever since Kieske and Mitsuru had given her a chance to work with them and the electronics ("Kirijo Electronics. Always there when you need them.") she had faithfully tackled her work with the diligence and effectiveness they expected of her. Many people would've been exhausted with her work, but she enjoyed it fully. This was good, because she needed spare energy for her other duty…

"No."

Everyone in the room gave a surprised look at Kieske. He still seemed to be trembling as he said:

"You wanted to help Minako with her hair, right? We'll start on the research and you can help us later."

"Um, but, Kieske-kun it's really-"

Before Fuuka could say much else, she yelped as something flew in between her, Yukari and Ken before it sunk into the wall Kieske had been facing. Everyone saw the metal scissors Yukari had been previously holding ("_When did he get those!?" _Junpei asked himself) were still quivering from their impact with the wall.

"What the hell man!?" yelled Junpei as he faced Kieske. "You could've killed someone!"

Only Minako and Mitsuru remained calm. They were both very used to Kieske and his irrational antics. Technically speaking, everyone else should be too, but they never seemed prepared for it.

"Just…give her the haircut. I…need…air." muttered Kieske between uneven breaths as he awkwardly went out the door.

"He seems to be overwhelmed by the situation. I suggest we allow him time to cool off." suggested Aigis calmly.

Mitsuru let out a small, exasperated, sigh before replying:

"That's probably best. I'll talk to him when he regains his composure."

After a bit more conversation on the topic, they decided to do what Kieske and Mitsuru had suggested. Everyone finally cleared out of the room as Minako and Mitsuru shared their concern for Kieske. ("He's definitely taking it too hard on himself." Minako had told Mitsuru. She agreed.) Only Shinjiro and Akihiko remained alone in the room. A moment of silence passed before Shinjiro spoke, making no effort to hide the hard spitefulness in his words.

"What the hell was that back there with Minako?"

Akihiko gave him a cold, hard look as he replied:

"I can't hug my friends now?"

"You can hug your friends as much as you damn please, Aki. But you can't hug _my girlfriend _in the way you did a few moments ago. And don't give me shit about how you hug all your friends like that, 'cause I doubt you'd do that to Junpei or Fuuka for that manner."

"I wasn't going to!"

"Then what were you planning on saying then?"

There was a pause as they saw the reflection of anger in each other's eyes before Akihiko replied with a forced strength behind his words. It was as if he was trying to sound surer of what he said than he felt.

"We agreed after we found out that Minako had loved both of us that we would let the best man for her win. That we would both fight for her."

Shinjiro said nothing for a moment, because he knew it was true. A while before Shinjiro's encounter with Takaya or that night Shinjiro had shared with Minako, Akihiko had come into his room _and_ punched him in the face before explaining that he had just talked to Minako in the shrine. Basically, Aki and Minako had been dating a while before Aki had broken up with her, saying he couldn't stand the fact of seeing the same thing that had happened to Miki happen to her; he also told her that he wouldn't be able to protect her if they were so emotionally distracted involved with each other. It may have seemed stupid to most people, but for Aki it was no laughing matter. He was certain he was just doing the best for both of them.

Except that he had regretted it. Aki knew that he had made a mistake. He had loved her, that much was true, but Aki could be a real idiot when it came to things like love and relationships. Around the time when Shinjiro joined SEES, Aki was thinking of a way to win her back. Shinjiro had been supportive with the idea of them getting together; after all, he wanted to see Aki happy too. But he hadn't counted on the leader falling in love with him…okay, so he had fallen for her too. By the time Akihiko had asked Minako to take him back, she had answered:

_At the shrine…_

"_I'm so sorry, Akihiko. I care about you a lot and you're very important to me but…I love someone else. I'm sorry; the last thing I wanted was for you to get hurt."_

Aki had numbly nodded in reply, feeling his insides ache. It didn't take him more than a few minutes afterwards to put two and two together, though…so he had run to the dorm and confronted his friend, his feeling of betrayal stinging him along with her rejection…

"Yeah, I remember. But that was a long time ago. Don't blame me for your mistake." said Shinjiro coldly.

"Sorry, Shinji; I'm not backing down. If she still chooses you in the end, then fine. But I have to make sure…"

"This isn't a damn boxing match, Aki. She chose me a long time ago. The faster you accept it, the less it'll hurt you."

However, he shook his head stubbornly and said:

"No. I'm doing this, Shinji. Nothing you say is going to stop me. She deserves the best man. If it happens to be me, then you're the one who's going to have to deal with it."

He walked out of the room without saying another word. Shinjiro was left in the empty room as he too felt the same sting of betrayal Aki must've felt years ago.

"Aki…you idiot."

* * *

Dinner was even livelier than it had been last night. Shinjiro had gone all-out with his cooking. From juicy, flavor-filled meat to delicious and crispy salads, the table was anybody's dream. Despite the conversation he had with Aki earlier, Shinjiro was in high spirits. Every time he glanced over at Minako he felt a smile grow across his face. Just knowing that she was back with them, looking more like herself and laughing with her friends as if she had never left gave him a comfort he had never known before. Even Kieske was in a good mood; Minako had been able to cheer him up in no time.

"That hair style looks better than ever on you, sis. Looks like Shinjiro here won't be able to stop himself from-"

"Sh-shut the hell up, Kieske!" exclaimed Shinjiro.

"Stop you from what?" asked Ken curiously.

"Uh, nothing important Ken. Don't worry about it." replied Kieske hurriedly.

Everyone laughed, except Akihiko who only give a smile. The joke wasn't very funny to him.

"No, boy, you can't eat this stuff. You'll get sick if you eat some of this food after eating what Shinjiro-san made for you too!" said Yukari as she stopped Koromaru from getting on her lap.

He whined, clearly discouraged, before walking back a few paces. Instead of leaving, he whirled around at the last second and sprinted towards the table, leaped and snatched an entire roll of sushi that had been on a platter in the middle of the table. Cries of astonishment were heard as he ran between platters and escaped just as Kieske tried to grab him. Junpei laughed.

"Way to go, Koromaru!" he yelled.

"Damn bastard! Just wait till I get my hands on him." muttered Kieske. "That was my sushi roll…"

"Koro-chan says: 'This time I want sushi too.'" said Aigis.

"Oh, dear; you seem to have some juice on you, Amada." said Mitsuru with a chuckle; everyone else was still laughing.

"Please don't worry about it…I'll just throw it away afterwards."

Although usually Ken was a strong believer in having clean and presentable clothes, he felt so happy tonight that he actually didn't mind. He felt glad to see Minako, whom was not only like a mother figure to him, but someone very important to him. He had even had a crush on her, but he had grown out of it.

"You won't have to throw it away, Ken. I think I can get that stain out with some detergent." said Minako.

Ken blushed. It was always like Minako to get out of her way to help him. He quickly thanked her, and received a smile and a "No problem!" in return.

As the time passed, Minako couldn't help but feel how great it was to be back with everyone like this; the last time she recalled that everyone in this room was together was the first time Shinjiro had made them all dinner. Every time their eyes met she felt like she could float from where she sat. Imaginary butterflies seemed to flutter in her stomach. He was back. Even if three years have passed, to her it had been only yesterday that she had seen him rush over to her, catching his breath. Even though his body hadn't completely recovered from his time in a coma, he had pushed himself to see her as soon as he had remembered.

And it was in his arms that she found the strength to face what she knew would ahead when she fell asleep.

"Alright, everyone! Attention for one moment, please!" said Kieske as he tapped his wineglass. "Ahem. Well, I was never really that great with words, at least not as good as Mitsuru; so I guess I'll be brief."

He raised his glass and said:

"To Minako and the fact that after all this time, the team is finally back together again. No matter what happens, as long as we have our leader there's nothing that can stop us! Cheers!"

Everyone else held their glasses up (Ken's was obviously filled with juice, and Aigis simply didn't drink any of hers) and also yelled out "Cheers!" before drinking.

About an hour of laughter and catching up later, Minako found herself in the peace and quiet of the shower. After a hot and cleansing bath, she stepped out and looked at her reflection for the first time in a while. Her face was much less childlike; her cheekbones were more defined and her eyes seemed narrower. Then again, it could just be her. Still, her face was disturbingly unfamiliar. Yet, at the same time, she knew it was hers. It didn't help her much, though. She still felt like she didn't fit in to this place or time.

"_I'll just have to get used to things one step at a time, I guess…" _

Putting on her bathrobe, she walked into a different room than the one she had apparently slept in for three years. She opened the door to the empty room and sat down on the bed with a sigh. She saw that this room was a bit different than her previous one. There was a simple white-colored comforter on the bed in the room, along with two white pillows. There was also a desk with at least ten cooking books covering the entire desk. Only one was open, and she smiled as she went over to it. She read it to herself:

"Pumpkin Pie: Seven Easy Steps to making a scrumptious dessert that will make anyone's mouth water. Oh, I didn't know you had to do that to make a pie…then again, Fuuka and I never covered this in our Cooking Club."

She jumped a bit as she felt someone take the book from her hands, saying:

"It ain't that hard."

She whirled around, grinning as she saw Shinjiro smile down at her tenderly as he put the book down. Minako barely had time to notice that he door had been locked before he swept her into his arms and kissed her. She immediately returned the kiss and put her arms around his neck. She felt his hands slide down her waist, giving her mixed feelings of joy and longing. It had been so long, so, so long since he had kissed her. It had only been one night before that horrible day, but she had enjoyed every kiss, every caress that he had given her that night. He lifted her up in his arms before whispering with such pure emotion that heart began to beat rapidly in her chest:

"I missed you."

She closed her eyes, savoring the moment. She allowed her head to rest on his chest, and she heard it; the strong, rapid heartbeat inside his own chest. Shinjiro stroked a strand of wet hair out of her face. She heard his strong voice again as he continued on:

"That day that I had finally saw you on the rooftop I should've known something was up…but I was too caught up in seeing your smile when you saw me to notice. Even though I told you that you didn't have to forgive me, I was hoping that you did. I couldn't stand the thought of you pissed at me…I really am an idiot, aren't I?"

"There wasn't anything anyone could've done. Don't blame yourself."

"Heh…I knew you'd tell me something like that. Damn, look at me going on about this shit when you've probably been through hell these three years."

"You've suffered a lot too."

She said it gently as she lost herself in his eyes…they were so intense, so filled with years of grief and loneliness. She smiled at him and kissed him lightly, feeling as their lips connected for a brief moment before they parted. She heard him exhale, the sensation of his breath tickling her lips. He smiled.

"Minako…"

She shivered as she heard him whisper her name. He placed her on the bed and was soon at her side. He pulled her close to him, hugging her so close that he could feel every curve and movement in her body. He brought her closer still, until they couldn't be any closer if they tried. Soon enough, warmth crept up both of their bodies, and they both could hear each other's quickened breaths.

"I ain't letting you out of my sight ever again. This time, I will protect you, Minako. Nyx won't take you away from me again."

She could only let her smile appear once again as she felt safe in his arms. She felt the indescribable joy of being with him again and seeing how despite the time that had passed; he had remained the same Shinjiro she had dearly loved then and now.

"I love you…" she whispered.

* * *

Minako had been awake for a while now. She had woken up around dawn and had watched the gorgeous sunrise, filling her with hope and eagerness for the new day. Afterwards, however, she merely watched her beloved as he slept while the hours passed by. It always calmed her to see him rest his troubled mind. She touched the dark circles that had been under his eyes as long as she could remember. He must've not slept well ever since he had lost control of his Persona, Castor, and accidentally killed Ken's mother. Guilt ate at her as she wondered if it had only worsened after she had gotten into a coma.

At the very least, he had nice dreams while he was in his coma.

"At least you're sleeping well now." she whispered as not to wake him.

She absentmindedly moved the covers that had been on Shinjiro's naked chest. Her eyes darted down as she noticed a mark on his otherwise smooth skin. Making sure not to reveal too much (not that it would've made a difference); she moved it down a little more until she could see two scars on his chest. She sucked in a breath.

She knew those scars well. They were caused the night Shinjiro had protected Ken. Takaya (a member of Strega and their enemy) had not only shot Shinjiro twice, but had mercilessly kicked his bullet wounds as well. It was because of this that he had gone into a coma. She hadn't seen him conscious again until the day that she had went into hers. It was a cruel, horrible thing.

Minako touched one of the scars with the lightness of a feather floating to the ground when a hand shot out of nowhere and gripped her wrists tightly. She gasped, startled as she heard Shinjiro practically growl:

"What the hell are you doing!?"

She swallowed and blinked.

"Uh, I-I didn't mean-"

His intense glare turned to her for a second before it softened. He let go of her arm before looking down and saying:

"Sorry. I didn't remember that it was you."

"Don't worry about it." she replied as she rubbed her wrist.

"Tch, yeah, right."

She gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. He smiled before quickly pulling up the sheets that were slipping from her body.

"Thanks." she said, smiling at his flushed face.

"It's nothing. Maybe you should, uh, put on your bathrobe or something to cover yourself better."

He handed her the robe which she put on.

"What about you?" she asked playfully.

"I have boxers on. Eh, anyway…how long have you been up?"

"Since the sunrise. I guess I got tired of all that sleeping."

"Damn straight…although, truth be told, I'm glad to see your eyes open. Reminds me that this wasn't a dream. Well, you must be hungry. Let's go downstairs and I'll make you whatever you want, alright?"

She grinned.

"I'd like that."

None of the two noticed an electric blue butterfly at the windowsill, as if listening the entire time.


	4. Chapter 3: The Contract Resets

**Persona 3P: Two Sides of Fate**

"Nooooo! Stop! Have mercy I beg of you!"

"The faster you accept it, the better it'll be for you."

"No…anything but that, please!"

"Will you stop? You're not giving me much of a choice!"

"Come on…you can't do this to me!"

"Damn it, Stupei; if you don't start reviewing, I swear, I'll call Mitsuru right now!"

Junpei Iori sighed in defeat as he sat down in front of his open notebook.

"You're so cold Yuka-tan…" he whined.

"Humph. Well, if you were more on top of things, I wouldn't have to be."

"Well, you at least have to admit I'm a lot better than I used to be at this."

It was true. Junpei had hardly ever opened a textbook while he was at high school. In fact, he probably would've failed if it weren't for Minako. Ever since he had asked her to help him with his schoolwork, he had begun to work harder; by the time he reached university, his grades had actually gotten better.

"It doesn't mean you should get cocky." scolded Yukari.

"Yeah, yeah…anyways, we're on vacation. We don't have to study now."

She sighed.

"I told you, we're just going to review. The faster we do it, the faster we can get out of it."

They both heard the thumping coming from the hall and Junpei said:

"Well it's going to be hard with Akihiko hitting that bag for the past hour."

"True, but you know he can never stay still. I mean, he's been traveling so much lately with his collage boxing program and those trips of his. Anyway, let's just get this over with."

They sat down and began quizzing each other on the material. It was quiet besides Akihiko's boxing. Ken was at school, Mitsuru, Kieske and Fuuka were all researching and Minako had gone with Shinjiro to work. Aigis was finishing her resting period and even Koromaru was fast asleep at Yukari's feet.

"Done!" exclaimed Junpei happily.

"Whew. Well, that does that. Hey, wanna go to the sweetshop?"

"Yeah, sure. Oh, crap; we didn't get to go with Minako yesterday!"

"You're right. Then again, it was a big day…"

"Yeah, she finally woke up but now Nyx is after us again. It's a real pain…I thought we had gotten rid of it once and for all."

Yukari remained silent, looking down at the floor.

"Me too. I had always thought that her coming back would be the end of it."

"Well, it could be a lot worse. At least the Dark Hour didn't come back. Honestly, I almost crapped myself when midnight came around."

She looked out the window to see the sunny day, people walking around living their normal lives and completely unaware of all the sacrifices made so that they could all stay alive. She felt her lips form into a tight frown.

_It wasn't fair. _

Junpei put his hand on her shoulder, lightly shaking Yukari back to the present. She noticed his nervous glance and said:

"Hey, you okay, Yuka-tan?"

"Yes, don't worry about it. Anyways, let's go and we'll just get her some sweets. I still remember her favorites."

"Heh, sounds like a deal; let's go!"

* * *

Kieske was bent over a large laptop keypad, looking hard at the screen in front of him. His hands were linked together in concentration as he read. A picture of Minako in her uniform three years ago filled half the screen; she was smiling, as if seeing the face of a friend in front of her. Under her file were large, bold words, which read:

**Arisato, Minako**

**Status: Ex-member of SEES, leader of all field operations. **

**Persona: Multi-persona user; original persona Orpheus. ****Unknown if the ability to personas has been lost.**

**State of Health: Recently awoken from a coma extending from a period of three years. **

There was much more, but Kieske was too lost in thought to keep going. He was sure that Mitsuru and Fuuka were probably going through this same file as he sat; if there was anything to gain from it, they would find it. He wasn't as good as them when it came to information searching—it was their Persona's abilities, after all, not his.

"That's not what worries me…" he muttered.

Did Minako still have any power left? And if she did, what would happen if she faced Nyx again? Or, even worse, what if she had no power at all? What would happen then?

"Ugh, my head is killing me…" he said as he drank some coffee.

He tried returning to work, this time checking if he would gain anything from checking her links with other people, (they had deduced that each true friend she had seemed to help strengthen personas of a specific arcana; Kieske excluded because all the bonds had been occupied by the time he joined) but he stopped after hearing the unmistakable _thud_ of a punching bag getting hit.

He cursed; Akihiko had been going at it for hours and up until this point he had been able to ignore it. Now, however, he was frustrated and wasn't going to stand that annoyance.

"Goddamn it, Akihiko why can't you just get a life or a girlfriend already and leave the rest of us to peace?" he muttered darkly as he walked up to Akihiko's room and opened the door.

He stepped inside to see, as he had known, Akihiko mercilessly beating the crap out of his large red punching bag with his red and padded gloves. Kieske waited until Akihiko attacked it for a few more seconds before stopping to catch his breath and said:

"Can't you take it outside, man?"

Akihiko gave him a bit of a startled look before frowning and saying:

"I locked the door, how did you-?"

Kieske rolled his eyes as he said:

"I snuck into your guys rooms to scare the living hell out of you all, remember? Unlocking a door that simple is nothing to me."

"I'm guessing the act of common courtesy never means much to you."

"I find it a waste of time, actually."

"Yeah, well next time at least have the decency to knock. And why would you care if I'm training or not, anyway?"

"Because I've been reading fruitlessly for hours and the annoying sound of your training won't let me hear my own thoughts."

"Must be pretty quiet thoughts, then, if you're bothered by something this loud,"

"Dude, you've been at it for hours, go take a jog or something. Hell, race the dog if you want because in here you're driving me nuts."

He took a glance at his watch and commented:

"Why aren't you enjoying time with your Shinji, anyway? Don't you two usually eat ramen at this hour or something?"

"You make it sound like we're gay or something." replied Akihiko bitterly.

"No offense, man but you two look like you have a pretty strong bromance going on."

"Bromance? What the hell is that?"

"Nothing." he said with an evil grin. "Just a joke. Besides, Shinji loves my sis too much to be gay."

Akihiko didn't say anything; he just averted his eyes from Kieske and said:

"I wouldn't want to spoil their time together."

"Please, it's Minako we're talking about; she always welcomes company. It's not like they're going to do anything private at a ramen shop. Besides, they got some of _that_ stuff done last night."

Kieske grinned at Akihiko, but then stopped when he saw Akihiko's dark look. He raised his eyebrows and commented:

"What's with that look? It's not like—wait. Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Akihiko felt his cheeks bloom into pink roses before he heard what he knew Kieske would say.

"Tell me you don't still have a crush on Minako."

"It's not a crush!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, so you're in love with Minako; yeah, that's better."

"It's none of your business if I am. Just lay off, Kieske."

"That's where you're wrong; it's my business because she's my sister and Shinjiro's my pal. Who's your best friend, by the way. You know, for like, 17 years or something?"

Akihiko gave him a sour, pissed off look.

"_A glare worthy of Shinjiro."_ thought Kieske in amusement.

"I'm not doing this to spite Shinji, Kieske. You wouldn't understand."

"I know about the promise. You weren't exactly quiet when you punched Shinji that day. Anyway, my point is that you have to let her go. She's happy with Shinjiro. Hell, they both suffered through the other's fucking coma to be with each other. Are you really going to be the douche bag that ruins it?"

"Damn it, Kieske; I don't want to hear this again."

"Well, you should because you're being a dumbass for thinking Minako loves you more than Shinjiro."

Akihiko had already mashed his teeth together angrily, and he could feel his fists clench even tighter. He wanted to hit Kieske. Very hard. But previous experience told him that getting into a fight with Kieske was almost as bad as getting into a fight with Shinji. And as much as he welcomed a good fight, he wasn't about to cause a problem.

"Tch, if you want me to leave so badly, I will. Just stay out of it, Kieske."

He got out, Kieske stepping out of the way while watching him leave.

"Can't say I'm surprised, though. Why did my dear sister have to be so irresistibly adorable?" sighed Kieske in a brotherly affection as he scratched the back of his head.

Absentmindedly looking out the window, he noticed a small, blue butterfly. For some reason, he found himself staring at it. Now that he noticed, it was kind of weird in a way, but he couldn't put his hand on why. He also didn't understand why it gave him a bad, prickly feeling.

After a few seconds, he shrugged it off. He was being pretty stupid if he was being freaked out about butterflies. Besides…Nyx was loose; that was probably why he felt jumpy.

So why did his gut tell him that wasn't it?

Meanwhile, Akihiko walked out the door angrily, hardly even noticing that he woke up Koromaru as he slammed the kitchen door. He took a deep breath of fresh air outside, trying to calm himself down. He then began walking, not even paying attention to where his feet were taking him.

Why did everyone have to antagonize him? He and Shinji had made a promise, and that was that. If Shinji were in his shoes, he'd probably have done the same thing. And even if he wouldn't have, Akihiko had lost too many precious chances to give up now. Kieske just didn't understand…

Akihiko had too suffered when he knew that Minako had closed her eyes for what could be the rest of her life. He had remembered her bright eyes, her joyful smile and her beautiful voice. He remembered when he talked to her near the Permission Tree while he had forgotten about SEES, Nyx and all of those things. She had seemed tired, but even then her smile and personality were as alive as always. It was ironic how the thing he had mostly told her about was his concern over Shinji. But he knew she would understand him. And that was why he, without fully knowing it, told her how much she had meant to him.

"_I'll always be your Senpai. I'll rush to your side whenever you need me." _

He meant it. No matter what, he was going to stand by her side, because she was the most precious person in his life. In his heart, she would always be his girl.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

Akihiko felt his attention snap back into reality. He noticed an upset man shove by him as he continued on before the boxer could say "sorry". Taking in his surroundings, he immediately realized that he was at the train station. In fact, he was about to board the train on the way to the strip mall to meet Shinji as he usually did.

"It's times like these when I really hate Kieske." he muttered.

He turned around and walked away as the train he would've taken pulled out of the station.

* * *

"Mmm, this tastes so good!"

A steamy Takoyaki was plucked into her mouth by the chopsticks she held. Like two pincers, they mercilessly began snatching the defenseless food into Minako's mouth. Shinjiro watched in amusement and a bit of surprise. She had eaten the entire meal that Shinjiro had made her for breakfast (a large vegetable omelet with a banana muffin, French toast, some strawberries and orange juice) and around his lunch break at work they had eaten at his favorite ramen restaurant where she had eaten an entire special and a side dish. After getting out from his work she was now devouring two whole bowls of Takoyaki.

"_Even though that's more than I've ever seen her eat before in her life, she still looks completely starved. She looks like she was suffering from a tapeworm."_

Then again, that probably wasn't too far from the truth.

"If you keep stuffing yourself, you ain't gonna have room for dinner."

Minako glanced up at him with her large eyes while she had two pieces of Takoyaki in her mouth.

"I wron't mym shtill hungry."

"Swallow first, you'll choke." he said in amusement.

She gulped with a bit of effort and completely swallowed everything.

"Don't worry, I'm still really hungry." she said.

She peered into the now empty Takoyaki bowl with a look of dismay. She reluctantly threw away the paper bowl and chopsticks as Shinjiro quietly observed her. She was still too skinny, especially considering how much her body had grown. He had noticed it last night when he had seen and felt a bit of her ribcages stick out against her skin.

"It ain't healthy for you to be eating so much junk food in a day." he said.

"Already scolding me, Shinjiro?" she said with a teasing smile.

He felt his heart do a summersault in his chest as he heard her say his name again before answering:

"If you're gonna keep eating, at least get something that'll give you the right nutrients. It'll help your body readjust."

"Is that what you did so your body felt better?"

It was an innocent question, but just remembering his not-so-far-away past of living after his coma brought him pain. Noticing that Minako was catching on to his long silence, he answered:

"Yeah, more or less."

"I'm sorry."

"There ain't anything to apologize for. Just don't worry about it."

Seeing how she was still worried, he took her hand (a bit awkwardly, as they had barely held hands before) and pointed out to another restaurant. He noticed her grin. It was there that they first started to get to know each other, and it was also where Shinjiro had made her eat all her vegetables.

"Let's get you a calcium meal or something. Maybe you'll at least be able to hold out until dinner."

She was about to reply, but something caught her eye. She turned her head a bit to see a man stand apart from the crowd. His attention was without a doubt on her, and he seemed to be smiling as if he had been politely waiting for her. His clothes were formal, but the strangest thing was that he wore a stunning blue butterfly mask.

The second her gaze went to the mask, the colors intensified and she felt everything around her fade to black…

_Her body felt light and alert. All of her surroundings had changed; she was now standing in front of a strange-looking gentleman with an unusually long nose and large, creepy eyes. Everything around her, the furniture and the carpet, were velvet, even the large sitting chair the man sat on. In the background, she could see that they were moving upward, as if they were in an elevator. Obviously, she knew where she was, because she had been here countless times before. _

_The Velvet Room. _

_Even though she had been half-expecting this to happen since Nyx had been released, she still found herself surprised .The strange gentleman, whom she knew as Igor, began to speak._

"_Welcome to the Velvet Room." he said with the same, amused smile he always had on. "It has been quite some time since you last came here. I have to congratulate you for surviving through such a harsh ordeal. Of course, this is merely the first of the long, hard path ahead of you." _

"_But, I thought the contract expired." she said._

_Suddenly, she saw it appear on the table between the two of them._

"_It had been. But due to the fact that your task is now incomplete again, the contract has reset."_

_She didn't reply much, because it was already starting to hit her again. To fulfill the contract she would have to defeat Nyx. But, that would also mean that she probably would…_

"_Do I have the same amount of time?" she asked quietly._

"_Indeed. You still have one year. Your power, as great as it has grown, is yet to be enough to challenge your foe once again. Of course, I will be here to assist you as you once again build your strength."_

_She felt herself slipping out of her surroundings, as if she was waking up from a dream. _

"_Our time to talk is up for now. Don't worry; we'll soon see each other again."_

_And then she only saw darkness before _colorsand shapes formed into her bodily surroundings.

"What's wrong?" asked Shinjiro, holding her arm and looking at her with concern.

She pointed at the man whom still stood there and said:

"Don't you think that guy's kind of out of place?"

Shinjiro looked in the direction she pointed at, but merely saw that blue butterfly he had seen a few days ago.

"What, the butterfly? I don't know; I've only seen one that color once. Is that the reason you spaced out?"

She stayed silent a few seconds, biting her lip. Even as she watched, the man turned his back on her and disappeared into thin air.

She should've known, shouldn't she, that it would all go back to that? She had only escaped because the seal broke. If it wasn't for that, surely she'd already be dead.

"Minako, what's wrong? You're pale as hell again." asked Shinjiro with an edge of concern in his voice, slightly lifting her chin so he could see her complete expression.

"_Oh, Shinjiro…" _she thought as she looked at the dark circles under his eyes and his worn appearance.

She couldn't stand to make him suffer anymore. Whatever happened, she would do it for everyone. Especially for her beloved.

"I'm fine, just a bit hungry, I guess." she replied with a calm smile.

"Then you should've just told me instead of spacing out like that. Come on."

He pulled her close to him, in case she might fall, and lead her into the restaurant.

* * *

"Wow, strawberry tarts are my favorite, Yukari. I can't believe you remembered…" said Minako as she admired the delicious-looking pastry.

"Of course I would! You always kept telling me how much you loved them, so I'd be dumb to forget."

"Yeah, and I even got you some chocolate, 'cause I know you like them so much." added Junpei happily.

"Thanks so much, guys. I can't wait to have them-"

Shinjiro came out of the kitchen holding a wooden spoon threateningly as he said:

"You'd better wait, because if you eat one more thing before dinner, you'll regret it."

Minako, Yukari and Fuuka all laughed together as Minako put the pastry back in the box.

"Did you really eat that much?" asked Akihiko curiously.

"Well, only about three times before I came home…" she answered in embarrassment.

Ken's eyes widened as he commented:

"Whoa, that's very impressive, Minako."

"Oh, but what else would you expect from our fearless leader?" asked Kieske as he came down through the hall, Mitsuru coming behind him.

"Hah, he's right, y' know." said Junpei with a grin.

"Oh, Kieske-kun, you look so tired. You shouldn't push yourself, especially since we were all looking for information." said Fuuka while having Koromaru lie contently on her lap.

"I had to at least try to do something useful, don't you think?"

"That may be, but overexerting yourself will only wear you out." replied Mitsuru she made room for him down on the sofa next to her.

He sat gratefully.

"Perhaps you should all take time to rest from your activities instead of continuing them after dinner." suggested Aigis, who sat next to Minako.

"That's a good idea, Aigis. Besides, we did get progress today."

"So you already know where Nyx is?" asked Junpei excitedly.

"I don't think it's that easy, Junpei." said Akihiko.

"Indeed it isn't. While I'm glad the Dark Hour hasn't returned, it means we have no way of knowing where to even begin searching for Nyx." commented Mitsuru.

"Maybe it just went away?" asked Yukari hopefully.

"A nice thought, but I doubt it left for good. It's probably not too happy about the whole 'being sealed for three years' thing." answered Kieske, his eyes closed while resting his head on the sofa.

"It would not be logical thinking to assume that Nyx has left on its own accord." added Aigis.

"Well, I can hope, can't I?" muttered Yukari.

"Don't worry, Yukari-chan, it's nothing to be ashamed of." assured Ken.

The sound of a cell phone interrupted the conversation.

"Oh, that's mine, sorry." said Junpei as he flipped it open. "Hope it's not Kenji again asking for—ah!"

Junpei rushed out of the room before anyone could ask.

"Is something wrong?" asked Minako when everyone else shared knowing glances.

"No, there's nothing wrong, Minako-chan; he's just probably talking with Chidori-san." answered Ken.

"Oh, that's right! Is she alright?" asked Minako.

Chidori and Junpei's relationship had been almost as tragic as her relationship with Shinjiro. She had been a member of Strega until Junpei had fallen in love with her and convinced her to change her ways. Unfortunately, when Junpei faced Takaya trying to protect her, Takaya had shot and killed Junpei. He was only able to be brought back by Chidori's Persona…but the effect had caused her death in turn.

Or so they had thought.

Junpei had given Chidori flowers almost every day he visited her at the hospital. To prevent her precious flowers from withering, she had used her ability to give the flowers life whenever they withered. When the doctor who was examining Chidori's corpse set the flowers on her body, all the life she had given them returned to her and revived her. The only problem was that she forgot everything about the Dark Hour, including Junpei. Even so, Junpei was never happier.

"Yes, after an extensive period at the hospital, she was able to live normally. They used a similar treatment used on Shinjiro to eliminate the effect of the pills. Now, she's in a special program that will allow her to hone her gift of healing." explained Mitsuru.

"In Japanese, she means that Chidori's learning to be a nurse using a special program supported by the Kirijo group since she never went to school or college." said Kieske.

"But does she remember?" asked Minako.

Yukari grinned happily.

"She doesn't remember everything, but she fell in love with Junpei again and began to remember the times they shared together. All Junpei did was tell her the rest." she said.

"I'm so happy for them." said Minako sincerely.

"Well, you're about to be happier for them." said Kieske with a satisfied smile.

Mitsuru gave him a puzzled look before asking:

"What do you mean?"

"Chidori! You're—you're here!"

A few seconds later Junpei came in, grinning, holding the hand of a beautiful read head with long, straight hair that reached her ankles. She had pretty brown eyes and small yet modest smile that radiated pure joy.

"Kieske, you're the man! You set this up, didn't you?" asked Junpei.

Kieske smiled mischievously.

"Well, I just thought that we could use a nurse. It would take out the pesky costs of going to a clinic every time we get screwed over. You know, with Nyx around."

Chidori greeted everyone around until she set her eyes on Minako. She seemed a bit confused as she saw her.

"Oh, you must be Minako-chan. Junpei-kun told me a so much about you. I'm happy to see you're alright now." she said, returning to her smile.

"Thanks. It's good to see you again too."

"Hey, dinner's almost done!" yelled Shinjiro.

"Heh, looks like you came just in time. You're gonna love Shinjiro's cooking."

After saying this, Junpei held Chidori with his left arm wrapped around her waist and planted a kiss on her cheek. She blushed.

"Junpei!" she whispered loudly.

"Aw, come on, Chidori! You know I can't help it!"

Minako stood up and went to the kitchen. Only Akihiko noticed as she slipped away quietly as not to bother anyone. There, Shinjiro was putting the finishing touch on a garden salad. She saw his famous pepper pasta on one side and what looked like enough steak for everyone. She smiled and hugged him from behind; causing him to flinch in surprise before realizing it was her.

"Didn't mean to scare you."

"It ain't that. I just can never let my guard down with Kieske around. The bastard has tried pulling shit that you wouldn't believe in if I told you."

She laughed.

"I thought you could use some help serving the food."

He smiled.

"Nice to see someone thought of that. But you should be resting."

"I'm not that weak."

"I know. But you're a girl and you're still recovering. You need to let yourself rest."

"But I have been-"

"Minako." he looked at her with his serious, piercing glare that could stop her in her tracks. "Whatever the hell you were doing these three years, you haven't been resting. That thing was sapping your energy or something."

"You don't have to worry about me."

"I do, because you're always used to being too strong to-"

"Hey, Shinji need any help with dinner?"

Akihiko entered, but instead of looking at Shinjiro had his eyes on Minako. He was smiling. Shinjiro knew that he only came in because she was here, and he wanted to break all of Aki's teeth right now for interrupting. He was able to keep his voice level, however, as he grabbed the pasta bowl after shoving the plate filled with steak at Akihiko.

"See, Aki's got it. Just go and tell everyone to sit down."

Seeing as how now wouldn't be a good time to talk, she left. Everyone was getting ready to go the table, and even Koromaru was wagging his tail eagerly, when it happened.

All the lights and power suddenly, and without warning, turned off. Minako only heard the startled cries of her friends as she noticed that it must've been a pretty bad one; not even the lamps outside worked, and she was pretty sure they had power reserves.

"Oh, great Shinjiro, you guys couldn't even get a generator for your house?" asked Kieske in the darkness.

"It does have one. I just don't know why the damn thing isn't working."

"Ouch! Hey, be careful, Akihiko!" exclaimed Yukari.

"Sorry, I can't exactly see where I'm going."

"Everyone calm down and try not to move around." said the voice of Mitsuru.

A light. She could see one in the distance…no, it was close by. In fact, Minako was beginning to move towards it, almost without thinking. It was soft and blue…she was surprised that no one else had noticed it, but they were all talking to each other about the lack of light.

She went over and stretched out her hand until the tips of her fingers touched the ball of light. It flashed even brighter and when she could see again, she saw a slowly rotating card float in front of her. On one side she recognized the familiar drawing.

Number 0 The Fool.

Her heart was beating fast. Everything else seemed to disappear around her, because all she could focus on was the card.

"Do not worry. I will illuminate the room." announced Aigis in the darkness.

Two rays of light emitted from her eyes and set upon everyone. They were still adjusting to it while Minako began to hear the familiar voice and feel that pressure build up inside her.

_Take it and reunite with your power. _

"Per…"

Aigis turned her light towards Minako, and it was only then that everyone saw the blue aura flaring up around her and the Arcana card.

"so…"

"Minako, no!" cried Aigis as she reached towards the woman.

"na."

Minako grabbed the card and it disappeared in her fist. Wisps of aura knocked Aigis back and everyone else was bracing themselves as not to fall, except for Shinjiro, who tried to reach Minako…until a wave of energy caused them all to fly backwards. When they all came back to their senses, Minako had completely vanished.

* * *

"Is this…the Dark Hour?"

She stood in the middle of a street, right next to a single lamppost that barely had any illumination. The sky was an eerie shade of red with a hue of green. There was no moon or sun in sight, yet for some reason she could still see, even without the light. The atmosphere was quiet…but it had a strong feel of hostility. Yet, there were no Shadows around.

No one else was around. She had blinked and ended up here after taking a hold of the power in her grasp.

"What do I do now? Where am I?"

Even as she said those words, she knew that she'd receive no answer. Or so she had thought.

"You are in Lazarus…the world that secretly coexists with yours."

Minako jumped and turned around to see that a tall, raven-haired and rather solemn man was standing a few feet away from her, even though she _knew _that no one had been there seconds before. His eyes were completely focused on her, and when she noticed them a cold chill overcame her. They were the color of blood, not the simple red of a small amount, but the deep crimson she had seen in the oceans and puddles of blood during the Dark Hour.

"Who are you?" she asked.

He narrowed his eyes as if she was asking an irrelevant question he wasn't interested in answering. In the short silence that followed, she could hear the soft rattle of the chain scythe he held, both ends of the chains holding menacing scythes that swung loosely. Finally, he spoke.

"I am Kurama. I have waited a long time to come…dear Seal."

She flinched and looked at him incredulously.

"How do you know that!?"

The corner of his mouth lifted into a cruel smile.

"You are the Seal that stopped Nyx from granting Judgment upon the world. Yes…I have waited a long time for this."

His voice was laced with an unstable excitement. Minako's body tensed on instinct, preparing to react to the sign of danger.

He extended his right hand, holding his weapon with his other one. He tensed his fingers and a card appeared in midair, just as it did with Minako beforehand.

"Hades!" he screamed as his hand crushed the card in his hand.

Out of the blue aura his Persona appeared. It was, as most Personas were, larger than any human but still had the shape of one. Hades' hair had dark curls with a silver crown on his head. His clothes were a regal black toga with the sandals to match, as it stood on a silver chariot pulled by horses seemingly made out of the darkness itself. Overall, his appearance was arrogant, cold and powerful.

Minako began to back away, although she knew that her chances of escaping were slim, too slim. Kurama's long and straight hair fell around his face as he lowered his head to look Minako straight in the eyes.

"I will finally have the sweet pleasure of killing you myself. You will not escape me!"

She barely dodged the hooves of the creatures as they cracked the ground were they stomped. Minako ran, not even trying to look back because she could hear Kurama and the Persona close behind her. She heard the chain scythe rattle and jumped to the side, still running, as it barely missed her legs. His cruel laughter filled the air as he said:

"That's right, run! It will just make it all the more satisfying to kill you in the end."

Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, not just from her fear but from her running.

"Persona! Persona!" she gasped.

Nothing answered her call. She continued on, until she ran right into an alley of some sort and reached a dead end. All she could do was turn around and face the man as he triumphantly and slowly walked towards her. His grin was maniacal, one that came from the enjoyment of watching her suffer.

"It all ends now, Great Seal."

Hades pointed at her as it began to form an Almighty attack that would finish her. She closed her eyes, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of looking into the scared eyes of a defenseless victim.

"Shinjiro…" she whispered.

In her mind's eye, she pictured him with his smile. At that moment, everyone else's faces flooded into view: Yukari, Junpei, Akihiko, Mitsuru, Fuuka, Koromaru, Ken…then she realized. She couldn't die, not yet. Not because of this.

But it was too late. The attack descended towards her as the blue aura surrounded her…she wouldn't have time.

_Boom! _

She opened her eyes to see that it didn't hit her, but something else that had appeared in front of her. However, it was not something that would save her.

A giant Shadow loomed over her with the mask of the Fool as a face. It absorbed the attack before looking at the woman behind it. It raised its giant claw as it prepared to attack, but this time Minako was ready.

"Persona!"

A graceful Persona emerged and knocked the giant Shadow into the man and Hades, causing them both to fall back. Minako smiled at the Persona. It was Messiah, her best one.

She could hear the sounds of a fight between Kurama and the Shadow; it seemed like they were equally matched as Kurama slashed and attacked with Hades while the Shadow clawed at them. However, before she could do anything else, she heard a familiar male voice say:

_Come to me quick, while he's distracted!_

She ran again, this time with Messiah at her disposal, until the two foes were out of sight. She knew that she should listen to the voice, even though she didn't know how it was leading her or where it would take her. She stopped as she reached the front of a building.

It looked exactly like the dorm of SEES during the Dark Hour. Trusting the appearance of it, she dismissed Messiah into her soul and entered.

It was like déjà vu as she entered and passed the counter where she had signed the contract her first day at the dorm. But now, instead of a little boy, there was a teenage boy standing behind the counter. He smiled at her as she got inside. Minako caught her breath as she recognized who it was.

"It's been a long time… it's good to see you again."

It was none other than Ryoji himself.


	5. Chapter 4: New Enemies

**Persona 3P: Two Sides of Fate**

**Hey! This is my first comment (I finally understood the concept) so I wanted to explain some things. First off, Kieske is pronounced **_**Kiis-ke**_**. Don't ask me if it's a real name…my friend made it up. Anyway, I'd also like to mention that Kurama is my own OC along with some others that will appear in the story. (Don't worry; I'm still adding game characters too.) I also apologize for the errors on my last stories and the lack of transitions between key parts. I'm still figuring out FanFiction, so please bear with me! But besides that, please enjoy the next chapter to our character's story.**

* * *

_More than three years ago, October 3, 2009_

"_I ain't holding back anymore." _

_Minako's eyes lit up and she smiled, her entire face emitting pure happiness. Shinjiro absorbed the expression she had on. It was something that he would come to remember for the rest of his life. _

_He held her two arms and pulled her towards him. Then he kissed her, feeling her jolt in surprise before relaxing her body completely and wrapping her arms around his neck. He continued kissing her, hoping in some part of his mind that he was doing a decent job, considering he had never kissed anyone before. Then again, she didn't seem to mind; on the contrary, she pressed her body closer to him and kissed him back just as fiercely as he was. He felt his entire body heat up and his heart race a million miles per second in his chest. He awkwardly held her waist before relaxing his fingers on them. After what could have been minuets or mere moments, they broke their lips apart to catch their breaths. He knew that his face must've been red as a beet, because he felt flushed and hot. _

"_You're red, Senpai." she whispered, her voice relaxed and shy._

_Her eyes were in a dreamy, half-closed state and seeing her chest heave up and down, he felt that there weren't any words left for him to say. _

_Then he grabbed her, careful not to hurt her, before burying his lips in her neck._

"_Ah…" she gasped in surprise before closing her eyes and clutching his shoulders. _

_He continued, listening to the small, gentle sounds coming out of her mouth as he placed her on his bed and positioned himself over her so he could keep doing what he was without crushing her with his weight. He felt any iota of control he had left had abandoned ship. _

"_Minako…" he whispered passionately as all his troubles and bad thoughts left him. _

_He was giving everything to the only woman in the world he loved, just like she was to him. Nothing else mattered now. _

_He lost track of how long they were together like that. All he knew was that after what seemed like the happiest time of his life, he found himself catching his breath with her lying next to him. Minako seemed to be glowing of how happy she was._

"_Tch, you don't seemed too concerned about what we just did." he said in amusement._

"_Not really. We used protection."_

"_Th-that's not what I—ugh, never mind."_

"_You're red again."_

"_Heh, guess I am. I can't stop smiling either." _

_She cuddled up to him, placing her hand on his still heaving chest. He closed his eyes and when he reopened them, hers were closed as she rested her head on him as well. Without even noticing, he placed his arm over her. _

"_I'm so happy we get to stay together like this." she whispered. _

_He felt bitter guilt surge within him. No. Not now. Not this soon. He swallowed before saying:_

"_If I don't get you to your room by tomorrow, Mitsuru will execute us both."_

"_I know. I meant you and me."_

_She didn't see his expression sadden, nor the fact that he looked away. _

"_I love you, Senpai…more than anyone. And you feel the same."_

_It would be so much easier to lie, to push her away. But it was too late for that…and he couldn't bear to hide it anymore. _

"_Yeah, I do. Don't think I'll ever stop."_

_How his heart hurt, how he felt as if something was stabbing him deeper than anything he had felt before._

"_Then I'll always be with you. No matter what happens, you'll always be my Senpai."_

_Despite the pain, despite everything, he heard himself say:_

"_Forget the senpai. Just call me Shinjiro." _

_She yawned contently and fell into what he knew was sleep after muttering:_

"_Shinjiro…"_

_The sound of her now slow and steady breathing let him know she was asleep. It all came rushing at him now, as if waking up from a beautiful dream and falling back into the hard, cold floor of reality. _

_Tomorrow, he was going to die. He had no right to change that; he had always known that he had little time left to begin with. _

_So why was he heaving and why was he crying? Because tears were gushing from him, even when he shut his eyes to try cutting them off. He was even making those pathetic crying sounds, as if his agony was clawing its way out of his throat. He held his tears with his hand, making sure not to wake her. She at least deserved that. _

_He had always told Aki that crying would never solve a thing. Yet he knew that'd he'd burst if he didn't let it out somehow. _

"_I…I tried warning you I ain't worth loving." he gasped as he continued to sob. "But I couldn't stop what I felt for you. When you insisted on staying with me, I couldn't hide it any longer. I'm sorry. You gotta understand…I have to do this. Ken's mom is dead because of me. He has every right to finish me. Just…don't blame him. He's just a kid forced to live without his mom. Please, don't get mad at him."_

_He stroked her hair out of her eyes with a shaky hand before gently stroking her cheek. _

"_I know Aki will protect you. So I ain't worried. He loves you…just like I do."_

_He held her and gritted his teeth until the rest of the tears passed. He got dressed. Then he took her clothes, wrapped her in a clean blanket and carried her out of his room. He was relieved to see the halls were empty. _

"_A little late to be out isn't it?"_

_Shit. _

_He turned to face the speaker and to his relief saw it was just Kieske. _

"_What the hell are you doing up now?"asked Shinjiro, although he wasn't exactly one to talk._

"_Insomnia. I would ask the same question, but it's kinda obvious considering your carrying Minako, probably naked, to her room past midnight."_

_Shinjiro didn't reply until Kieske held his hand up and said:_

"_Relax, I won't tattle. I was wondering when you'd guys get to it, anyway. Hey…are you okay?"_

_Shinjiro looked away, trying to hide his puffy eyes before muttering:_

"_I'm fine."_

_Kieske gave him a doubtful look. Wait. Kieske…he was protective of Minako too, in his own way. He wouldn't let her down._

"_Hey, Kieske. If…anything ever happens to me, promise you'll take care of Minako."_

"_Why the sudden request? Planning to die soon?"_

"_Just give me your word, alright?"_

"_That goes without saying."_

"_Good…and thanks." _

"…_You didn't answer my question."_

_Shinjiro had begun walking up the stairs and stopped. _

"_Get some sleep, Kieske. Don't worry about me."_

_Kieske said nothing else as Shinjiro went up to the third floor and proceeded to take Minako to her room._

"_What's done is done. There ain't no going back." thought the beanie-wearing man as he took his beloved to her room for what he thought would be the last time. _

"_At the very least…I'll know that she'll be safe."_

* * *

Present, moments after Minako's disappearance…

"Kieske, I swear this had better not be another one of your damn tricks because if it is, I swear I'll kill you." growled Shinjiro angrily.

Usually, it was in Kieske's nature to poke at Shinjiro's anger, but Kieske decided he'd rather not risk it. The poor guy looked utterly terrified at the fact that Minako quite literally vanished out of thin air.

"Look, I didn't have anything to do with that. I don't even know how the hell that happened, or what happened in that case." replied Kieske.

"Minako! Minako!" yelled Aigis as she began searching for the missing woman around the house.

Koromaru started sniffing around before barking at Aigis. The mechanical maiden stopped yelling.

"What did he say?" asked Fuuka apprehensively.

"He said: "Minako-san isn't anywhere around. Even her scent is gone."

"What does that mean?" asked Akihiko.

"It means that she isn't here, dumbass." remarked Kieske.

"I know that! I mean, what good is there in telling us that?" replied the boxer.

"It means that Minako isn't in the area." answered Mitsuru.

"So where is she? I mean, one moment she looked like she was gonna summon her Persona and then she just-just leaves or something? Doesn't anyone know what happened?" wailed Junpei.

"If we knew, then we wouldn't be asking!" snapped Yukari.

"Hey, why are you taking this out on me? I barely said anything!"

"Because you never think before talking!"

They continued back and forth while Ken frowned, greatly worried. He never liked hearing Yukari and Junpei bicker. This was an even worse moment for them to be doing so. He couldn't help but notice that Shinjiro-san's temper was rising and that everyone else was getting affected by the tense atmosphere.

"Will you two stop it!?" yelled Akihiko. "This isn't the time for you both to be acting like little kids."

Ken silently thanked goodness that Akihiko had been on the same page as he had. Yukari opened her mouth a bit before snapping it closed, probably to stop the comeback she had thought of.

"We all need to calm down and think this through rationally. There must be an explanation to this." said Mitsuru.

"Thinking it through is just going to waste our time." replied Akihiko.

"And what will running around aimlessly get done, Akihiko?" asked Mitsuru.

"It's sure as hell better than standing around and doing nothing." commented Shinjiro.

"But…if we don't know what to do, we won't be able to help." pointed out Fuuka quietly.

The two men had no reply to this.

"I agree with Mitsuru and Fuuka. We must first identify our situation." said Aigis.

"Uh, guys."

Everyone glanced over at Kieske who seemed to be staring at something.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Yukari.

"Who is that?" questioned Chidori, who had remained quiet until now.

Everyone turned their gazes to where the two had theirs.

In the first second they looked, everyone saw the stunning blue butterfly flutter before their eyes. But, in another second, the butterfly changed; its form shifted like an image on a television affected by static. Now it was clear that a formal-dressed man stood in front of them. His blue butterfly mask was unmistakably alike to the creature they had witness seconds before.

He gave a deep bow before straightening up with a polite smile on his face.

"Good evening. Pardon my sudden appearance, but I believe I can shed some light on your current predicament."

* * *

"Ryoji?" whispered Minako in surprise.

The boy gave Minako a calm, sincere smile of affection that she had seen on him in the time they had gotten to know each other. Ryoji, the son of death that had been given human feelings due to the fact that he had been sleeping in Minako's soul for ten years. Until she had come to Port Island four years ago, that is.

"It's good to see you're not upset to see me. Then again, with her back on the loose, it's no surprise I'm free again, is it?"

"I'd never be upset to see you. You're my friend, remember?"

"Ha, that may be true, but the last time you saw me, I was the sign of certain death for all of you. But don't worry; if I'm not in your world, it doesn't mean the same."

"What does it mean, then?"

He gave her a solemn look, and she could see the sadness in his eyes.

"It means that your battle starts all over again, except even more difficult and facing more hardships than you can even imagine."

She didn't like the sound of that.

"Hey, you shouldn't be so down; you should be happy. You're freed from her, and you get to fight with those you love." he said, seeing her sad face.

"Until we meet Nyx again." she replied simply.

He frowned, knowing that it would be foolish to pretend she was wrong.

"But the seal did break, Minako. Maybe it means something." he insisted.

As he said this, her attention returned to the fact that the seal had indeed been broken by Kieske…but how?

"How did Kieske break the Seal?"

Ryoji thought about it for a few seconds before replying:

"He cared about you deeply, Minako. Just like everyone else you shared your endeavors with. But remember, he's different from the others in the sense that none of your Persona's powers came from him. That's why his name didn't appear in your conscious when you summoned Messiah. So it manifested in another way."

The explanation seemed a bit odd to her. Then again, the power Persona was a tricky thing. Besides, Ryoji was right; Kieske's Arcana is the Hanged Man. By that time, she already had a seven year-old friend called Maiko who already gave Minako the power to create personas of the Hanged Man.

"Oh, it looks like we've been talking too long. You should get back; everyone will be worried about you."

She smiled at him for the first time they had talked before saying:

"I'd like to but I don't know how."

He extended his hand and a mask appeared out of thin air. It had the number 0 on it and she was immediately reminded of the face of the giant Shadow. Except that the design was different.

"With this, you'll be able to enter Lazarus whenever you need to. Now it's different, but when you get back, you just put it on to get here and leave it on. When you want to get out, just take it off."

She held it and immediately felt like she was floating. The last thing she saw was Ryoji as he said:

"I'll be waiting for you."

Then she felt herself float away and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Who are you?" asked Mitsuru after the initial shock had died away.

The man still had his polite smile on his face as he looked at everyone in the room before saying:

"I have many names, but none that are permanent. Call me what you wish, although I sincerely doubt that this matter is of any importance in the moment."

"You still haven't given me a solid answer for my question."

He seemed amused by this.

"I assume that most of you have learned about the Wild Card's ties to the Velvet Room. I am, so to say, the master of the Velvet Room."

Kieske scoffed at this saying:

"No way; the guy in charge was suppose to be some long-nosed creepy guy. At least that's what Minako told me."

It was also what Kieske told everyone after the beginning of her coma. He thought that information about the Velvet Room, some dude called Theodore (whom Junpei had seen hanging out with Minako once) and that weird what's-his-name creepy guy would be the perfect start to research a way to wake her up. Obviously, it didn't, but he had at least learned about the Social Links.

The stranger's smile seemed to extend a bit more at this.

"Ah, you are referring to Igor."

"_Oh, yeah. Igor was his name…yup, still fucking creepy." _thought Kieske.

The man continued, oblivious to Kieske's thoughts.

"I left him to care for the Velvet Room and assist the Wild Cards in my place. I am his master."

No one but Mitsuru seemed to know what to say about this.

"And you claim to know what's going on?"

"But of course."

"Then get to it already." said Shinjiro.

"Your friend has merely entered the world of Lazarus. As you know, there was an experiment gone wrong at a lab thirteen years ago with the Shadows in an attempt to create the Fall. Haven't any of you ever asked where they were able to get those Shadows, if the Dark Hour had not yet existed?"

No one replied. Despite the urgent situation, everyone wanted to know the answer to that mystery.

"While it is true that there are Shadows who existed beyond the Dark Hour, in this particular case, they came from another plane of existence. Lazarus is the world-or dimension-where Shadows come from. It is the root of the conflict you all suffered from three years ago. It is where your ally Ryoji hid after revealing his true self and where Nyx hides now…in her domain."

Shinjiro suddenly came to a horrible realization as he glared accusingly at the man and yelled:

"You know that she's in the same place as Nyx and every other damn Shadow… and you're here talking about it when she could be getting killed!?"

The masquerader's calm face did not change at the least.

"I cannot directly interfere with her journey. I can only inform, perhaps give a bit of my assistance, but that is all. And you'll be relieved to know that she is already safe. Actually, she will be rejoining you in mere moments so I'm afraid that I'll have to finish informing and leave you all for now."

Not waiting for a reply, he continued:

"When she returns, you will all gain an object that will allow access into Lazarus during the hour of midnight. Just like your last battles, a dangerous Shadow will appear out of hiding every Full Moon. You must defeat them to open the path in Lazarus to find Nyx. But, beware: Lazarus is the origin of the Shadow's power. Your foes will be even more powerful than any Shadows you've faced before."

A few seconds after he spoke, they all noticed a soft, blue light behind them. They all turned to see the source as they heard the stranger say:

"Until we meet again, I wish you all good fortune on your journey."

Another flash of blue light left them blinded for a few moments. As their vision returned to them, they saw Minako on the floor, holding a strange mask. She was like an owl, blinking and looking around with her large eyes, trying to register her surroundings.

"Minako!" exclaimed Aigis as she rushed over and lifted Minako up with another boa hug.

Everyone else let out a breath of relief, and Shinjiro once again felt his tension melt away at the sight of her well-being. However, Kieske made his emotions very clear when he went over to the browned-haired woman and smacked her upside the head.

Aigis was appalled along with the rest of the girls, except Yukari. She, along with the rest of the boys, became angry.

"Ow." muttered Minako meekly as she rubbed her head and Aigis let her go.

"Hey, what the hell was that for Kieske!?" said Yukari angrily.

"What did you think you were doing out there?" he asked Minako angrily, ignoring Yukari completely. "What, you just thought: 'Oh, it's just a floating Arcana Card! I'm sure nothing bad will come out of it if I touch it!' Do you even still have any regard for your personal safety!?"

"Of course I-"

But he didn't even let Minako finish before continuing his verbal tirade.

"No! You don't! You just throw everything to the wind and go on a magical adventure into Hell's version of Tartarus! You made Aigis have a panic attack, you made everyone else just plain panic and almost gave your boyfriend a heart attack!"

"You idiot, I wasn't even close to a heart attack. Do us all a favor and stop making it sound worse than it was." replied Shinjiro in irritation.

"Please calm down, Kieske-kun; you're making Fuuka and Aigis very nervous." said Ken.

"Indeed you are, and you should know better than to worsen a situation." scolded Mitsuru.

"Worsen a situation? What's wrong with you? She could have _died._"

He turned to Minako and raged at her saying:

"Do me a favor, the next time you want to jump into the lion's pit let me know so I can shoot you and save us the trouble!"

"That's enough, Kieske!" exclaimed Mitsuru angrily.

The room suddenly became completely silent, as the wrath of Mitsuru's anger was never taken lightly.

He didn't seem like he was angry anymore, but was still obviously upset. However, as he was no stranger to Mitsuru's executions, he remained silent and looked away from everyone.

"I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time." said Minako.

"You don't have to apologize at all." said Yukari while giving Kieske a nasty glance.

Shinjiro agreed completely.

"But I worried everyone. Besides, I know he only says those things because he cares."

Kieske smiled.

"Well, now that we've calmed down, I believe there's something we have to discuss." began Mitsuru before Junpei exclaimed:

"H-hey, Minako you're bleeding!"

She looked down to notice that a bit of blood was indeed coming out of a cut from her ankle. So she didn't dodge the blade completely.

Half everyone was on her before she could blink, sitting her down and stopping the bleeding. Despite the urgency that she knew was in the mask she held, Minako couldn't help but smile at everyone's care and affection. Soon, Chidori had her ankle disinfected and wrapped up.

"Will you idiots give her some space already? She's fine now." scolded Shinjiro in annoyance.

Everyone obeyed, (Akihiko a bit reluctantly) while Shinjiro himself remained by her side. He glanced down at her ankle before asking:

"Who did this to you?"

Although his voice was calm, it was more than obvious that there was anger in them. Holding the mask with both hands to assure it was there, Minako explained everything that happened to her. She could see more than a few murderous glares when she told them about the man called Kurama that attacked her.

When she finished, Junpei sighed in exasperation and muttered:

"Oh, great. Another evil nut job with a Persona. Just when I thought we at least wouldn't have to deal with that…"

"I don't like it either." said Fuuka.

Everyone else, however, was more focused on the strange object Minako had.

"So this thing's going to get us in and out of…Lazarus?" asked Yukari, pointing at the mask Minako held.

"I think it only works for one person…" she said, turning it around in her hands.

"Wait, so how are _we_ going to go, then?" asked Junpei.

"…Hey, aren't those masks too?" asked Ken as he pointed at the table behind them.

They all had been looking at Minako ever since she returned, but now that they turned around, they all noticed that they were indeed eye masks on the table (that were certainly not there before). Mitsuru cautiously picked one up and stared hard at it before replying:

"They all seem to belong to different Arcana…just like the faces of the Shadows."

"That's right! I remember that too." exclaimed Ken in surprise.

"What's more, all the masks match the Arcana of everyone here." announced Kieske as he held up the mask of the Hanged Man for them to see.

"Seriously!?" asked Yukari.

"Take a look for yourselves." he replied.

They all did, and found out that Kieske was right. Each mask seemed to be specially made for the owner. Even Koromaru had one that seemed to fit him perfectly. Of course, no one risked putting them on yet. Only Akihiko seemed itching to go.

"This is starting to get interesting, alright." said Akhiko, not even trying to hide his anticipation.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We shouldn't rush into things yet." warned Mitsuru.

"I suggest that we wait until tomorrow night before investigating, for the sake of Minako's health and safety." announced Aigis.

"I agree. That Persona-user might be around, and he sounds very dangerous." said Fuuka.

Mitsuru turned to look at Minako. It was strange to see her like this again after all this time. To be honest, she was secretly more than relieved to return Minako to her rightful place as their leader.

"You know that I always go with your decision. What do you think?"

Usually, Minako would've loved to go back there and (as Shinjiro said) "kick some ass", but she was too tired to go back after today.

"Let's go tomorrow." she answered.

"Thank goodness…I've had enough of today anyway." said Yukari in relief.

"What? I was just starting to get pumped up!" exclaimed Akihiko.

"Then go out for a walk or run or whatever you Olympic wannabe athletes do, because if I hear you punching that bag at this hour, I'm shooting you." grumbled Kieske.

"Aggh, I can't believe we're going to have to wait until tomorrow!" continued the frustrated boxer.

"Don't worry, Akihiko; tomorrow we'll do lots of exploring, I promise." assured Minako.

Akihiko could just _feel_ the energy steam down bit by bit as he looked at her calm face…she was just so beautiful when she smiled.

"Y-yeah. I mean, ahem, your health is the most important thing." he said, finding himself smile.

Only Kieske noticed Shinjiro as his eyes narrowed and his jaw clench in anger.

"Come on, you need some rest." grumbled Shinjiro, taking Minako by the hand as everyone else began going to their rooms.

"Oh, but your food…" said Fuuka as she glanced at the table.

"Don't worry, just take your stuff and I'll put all the leftovers away with old Shinji here." said Kieske a bit too pleasantly.

Shinjiro gave him a questioning expression before deciding to go with whatever was happening. They watched as Minako went to her and Shinjiro's room (without Akihiko tailing her) before beginning to put the food away. It only took a few seconds for Kieske to say:

"So, tell me; how is it that you haven't murdered him and fed his remains to Koromaru?" asked Kieske.

"Because the dog shouldn't be eating the likes of that idiot." replied Shinjiro.

"Ouch. I thought you'd say something like "because even if he's a dumbass, he's still my friend", but that ship has clearly sailed. Not that I blame you."

"Then why did you want to talk?"

"I don't. I just need someone to actually help me clean this stuff."

"You're full of shit, you know that?"

"Dude, chill. I'm on your side, okay? I talked to the guy."

"And?"

"He's still as in love with her as he was three years ago and won't listen to reason."

"Why the hell are you telling me shit I already know?"

"Because I care about Minako just as much as you do—hey, I meant in a different way, don't give me that look! Anyway, the last thing she needs is to find out about you guys almost killing each other. So I'll make sure she doesn't."

"…Thanks."

Kieske shrugged, pretending not to be embarrassed.

"Whatever, just go back to her. I'll finish here."

Shinjiro couldn't help but smirk before nodding and going up the hall. He went up to the door but stopped cold as he heard voices inside his room.

* * *

Minako Arisato had just gotten in her room when Ken had asked her if he could talk with her. After saying he could, he entered. Minako could tell he was nervous; Ken was tense and kept his gaze to the ground.

"I, uh, wanted to talk to you right away, but I got so excited to see you awake I forgot."

"Do you want to sit down, Ken?" she asked.

"No…I'm fine, but thank you." replied the boy.

There was a short silence before she said:

"So, what is it that you want to tell me?"

He opened his mouth and then quickly closed it, hesitating. Just as Minako was about to ask him what was wrong, he blurted out:

"I-I'm sorry!"

Sorry? Minako could only give Ken a puzzled and startled look as he continued talking rapidly, not even daring to look at her.

"What happened between you and Shinjiro…it's all my fault! If…if it weren't for what I tried to do, the both of you wouldn't have had to suffer so much!"

He had barely begun to talk and already he was struggling to speak between sobs. It was evident that he had been holding this in for a long time.

"Ken…Ken, calm down." said Minako gently as she held his shoulder and wiped the many tears that fell out of his eyes.

"I…I didn't know you loved him so much back then…maybe if I had known, I would've changed my mind…"

"Ken, take a deep breath. Please calm down."

He finally listened, breathing in and out for a few moments while Minako sat him down on a chair. She gave him a comforting hug, and for a moment Ken felt like he was being embraced by his mother. She gently let him go and said:

"I never blamed you for what happened."

"Y-you didn't?" he asked.

"You were angry and confused. You made a mistake."

"That's not an excuse for what I did. You tried to get to know me." he whispered.

"Ken, you—"

"I thought I already told you it ain't your fault."

Minako and Ken were startled by the sound and appearance of Shinjiro, who walked into the room. His gaze was fixed at Ken (whose head was hung again) as he said:

"I told you a long time ago: I don't blame you. It ain't your fault; it was mine and that asshole Takaya. I was the one who took the pills and got his attention in a bad way. Not you."

"…I just needed to know that Minako could forgive me."

Minako smiled at him and replied:

"You never had to ask; there's nothing to forgive."

Ken nodded before he stood up straight, returning their gazes. There was an overwhelming expression of relief on his face.

"Thank you. I-I suppose I should leave you to rest. Goodnight, Minako and Shinjiro."

The boy left, and Shinjiro could only let out a sigh before saying:

"I should've known he hadn't let it go yet. Can't believe he's been holding it in so long."

Minako chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"It's because he so much like you.

He blushed.

"It is good to know that you two of you are so close now." she added.

"Tch, well, someone had to take care of him."

"I thought Akihiko was his guardian."

"Yeah, but he's an idiot who can barely take care of himself, let alone Ken."

Despite his tone, Minako could sense the affection he had for both of them in his words.

"Oh! I almost forgot something. Now that we're alone again…"

After saying his, Shinjiro opened his closet (Minako observed that many of the clothes were the same; not that she was surprised) and rummaged around until he took out a box. He placed it on the bed for her to see. When she opened it, she was surprised to see all of her special belongings there: Yukari's phone strap, Junpei's keychain, the bunny plush toy Akihiko gave her, and everything else she had gained from all her friends. She smiled as she recalled all the fond memories she had from them.

Before she knew it, she found the leather watch Shinjiro had given her in her hands.

"Can you help me put it on?" asked Minako as she extended her arm.

Carefully, he fastened the watch in place.

"Heh, it does look good on you. I thought it would." he said.

"Of course it would; you picked it out for me."

"You really know how to make a guy blush, you know that?"

"What's so bad about that?"

"That you're so damn good at it."

She was about to say something in reply when she noticed something she hadn't seen before on Shinjiro's desk. Walking over to it, she picked up a maroon beanie and asked:

"It's almost as new as when I made it for you. Does that mean you didn't like it?"

"No! I mean, that ain't it." he stuttered.

When SEES had beaten Nyx and then forgot about everything that had to do with the Shadows and the Dark Hour, Minako had found herself devoting her time and energy into making a beanie, although at the time she couldn't remember why. All she knew was that she had to finish it before Graduation Day, and had even found the small metal plate that allowed her to make it much like Shinjiro's original one. When her memory returned to her, she had placed it on the bed in his empty room with a note. It was meant to be her last gift to him.

"What is it then?"

He hesitated, feeling the soft, high-quality material of the hat. It was obvious that it had been made by skillful hands.

"I…made a promise. The day we found out you were in a coma. I swore that I wouldn't wear it until I could live up to that promise." he explained, moving the beanie in his hands.

"What promise?"

"I can't tell you yet. But I will, when I get there."

She gave him a concerned look. The last time he spoke like that, it was because he knew he was going to let himself die. As if reading her thoughts, he said:

"It ain't like last time. I already told you that I'm here to stay."

Seeing as she still was concerned, he touched her check and kissed her.

"Stop worrying so much. You've had enough of that. Just rest already."

Usually she would protest, but she felt her eyelids getting heavy. Before she even knew it, she fell asleep. He watched her for a moment before whispering:

"Please…wake up again tomorrow."

* * *

_In Lazarus… _

Kurama watched as the giant Shadow finally stopped its useless struggling and disintegrated into nothing. He pulled his chain scythe from the ground and turned to where the monster was. The only thing that stood there was a floating, dark orb the size of his palm.

He took it and shoved it in his mouth, swallowing it whole. Satisfied, he turned around only to hear a female voice say:

"Did she get away?"

Two people approached him. The one who hadn't spoken was a man. He inhaled to calm down the frustration he felt at letting his prey escape. But even as he spoke, his red eyes still burned with anger.

"Unfortunately. It seems like I had forgotten about the Shadow that roams in the full moon. I had to kill it, but I'm not concerned. After all, there are eleven more, if I'm correct." he said.

"The Magician is dead too. The Fool ate it to gain its power." answered the other man in a calm voice.

Kurama felt his anger rise. That would explain why it had taken so long for it to die.

"But that still leaves ten. That's more than enough, Kurama." said the woman in an attempt to calm the angered man.

"We cannot allow more of the children of Nyx to die. The Seal will try to get to Her by killing them. That cannot happen."

"Are you concerned?" asked the woman.

He grinned maliciously.

"She is far weaker than us. Living in the other world hasn't given her the same blessing we've received by living in _this_ world. The next time she appears, she will die."

"If we get to her first, can we kill her?" she said.

"No. She will die by Hades. I will use my special attack…she will suffer from taking what's ours."

As he said this, the woman smiled along with Kurama. Only the other man stayed with a frown on his face.

* * *

Shinjiro shifted his body so he could hold Minako closer to him as he slept. He was about to drift back to sleep when he heard the sound of something falling off the nightstand.

"_The hell…?" _

He opened his eyes, waiting until they adjusted to the night. Then he nearly jumped back as he noticed that Aigis was standing right next to the bed. Watching them. While they were sleeping.

"What the hell are you doing!?" whispered Shinjiro so Minako couldn't hear.

"I apologize for waking you. I am merely assuring that Minako does not get sick overnight and that she is safe."

"Of course she's safe, I'm watching her."

"I did not mean to doubt your abilities to keep her safe."

"Then get the hell out, I ain't sleeping with you watching me."

"But…I cannot leave Minako's side…"

"You'll see her in the morning."

"May I return when you are asleep?"

"GET OUT."

Although it was a bit harsher than he wanted it to sound, it was effective. He made a mental note to get another lock on the door as she locked it after it was closed.

"Damn robot is insane…" he muttered before returning to sleep.

Minutes later, Aigis re-entered.

"You never said I could not come back" she whispered, pleased with herself.

One could not deny that her determination was admirable.

**Okay, that's it for now! Next chapter is the first team venture to Lazarus and the first giant Shadow fight! There's much more to look forward to…the story's finally moving along! **


	6. Chapter 5: Hades' Wrath

**Persona 3P: Two Sides of Fate**

**Before you read the chapter, for any of you have not played Persona 3, I suggest you search for the Personas of all the official characters so you better understand the story. Obviously, I will give descriptions of the Personas belonging to my OC's. It was also help to read about "the Fall" from Persona 3. Remember, I only own Axel Kieske, Kurama, Sophia, Eden, Ami and the mysterious character that appears in this chapter. The rest belong to Persona 3P! **

_Minako found herself standing in front of Igor, once again in the Velvet Room. In front of her was the contract and something that was unmistakably a key. _

"_Welcome to the Velvet Room. It seems that you have once again awakened to your power. Not to mention, you have seen the face of one of your greatest obstacles. It seems like your destiny is beginning to move on its own accord."_

_The key disappeared from the table and floated in front of Minako. She took it, having an idea what he was about to say._

"_This key, like the last time, will allow you access into the Velvet Room whenever you wish. Ah, before I forget…"_

_He extended his hand and a woman appeared from right behind him. She had a strange, purple dress and hat; her hair was white and short, almost a bob style. Her yellow eyes gleamed in the dim light. _

"_This is my assistant Elizabeth. She will also be aiding you in your journey."_

_Elizabeth bowed, smiling._

"_My brother Theodore has told me about you. It'll be my pleasure to provide assistance whenever you need it."_

_Igor, seeming satisfied by Elizabeth's introduction, continued._

"_Well, it seems that our time now is done. I will see you again very soon."_

_And then everything faded to black._

* * *

Junpei Iori was snoring contently on his bed. Chidori could only observe him in amusement as she watched him. She poked his face, like she did many times before, but he remained indifferent. Chidori smiled before lightly shaking him.

"Junpei…"

He murmured something incomprehensible before turning to the side and going back to sleep. Chidori frowned before grabbing a paper fan and whacking him with it various times.

"Owowowow, okay! I'm up, I'm up!" he exclaimed.

Satisfied, she put the fan away. Junpei blinked away his tiredness as he yawned.

"Why are you waking me up, anyway? I'm not going to Lazarus until nighttime." he said.

"Humph, that doesn't mean you can sleep the entire day."

He grinned.

"Well, I wasn't gonna sleep the _entire_ day. Just most of it."

She stayed quiet a few moments. Junpei saw her expression sadden.

"What's wrong, Chidori? Are you feeling alright?" he asked worriedly.

Her health had always been on the delicate side, even after she had finished her two years of therapy. It was because of this that he was always on the lookout for any signs of sickness. But she merely shook her head before asking:

"Do you have to go fight again? If there's another Persona-user like Takaya…"

"_Oh. That's it. I should've known."_

Junpei gently held her hand, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Come on, Chidori; I'll be fine! I'm not going in alone. I'm going to be with the entire team, and we even have our leader back! There's no way we're going to lose!"

"I don't want you to get hurt again, Junpei."

The memory of him getting shot by Takaya flashed in the back of his mind. It wasn't very pretty to think about. He could sometimes still feel the piercing and searing pain…and then his life fading away before his eyes.

"_I can't think about that now. I'll only worry Chidori. Besides, everything's okay now. I gotta remind her that." _

"Hey, he's not going to hurt any of us anymore and we're both together now. I'm not going to get myself killed again. So…don't worry, okay?"

He then kissed her before saying:

"Let's face it; you just want to spend more time with me, right?"

She gave him a little smile. He always tried so hard to make her feel better.

"Of course I do. I only came here yesterday, and we haven't seen each other in two months."

Junpei felt a huge grin spread across his face. He laughed a little.

"I missed you too." he said.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

He felt his entire face get red. Chidori never beat around the bush. It was one of the many things he loved about her. And one of the things that always left him acting like an idiot.

But of course, by now she knew how to handle that quite well. She kissed him for a long time, until he had to break for air.

"Ch-Chidori…" he stuttered shyly.

She giggled. He was so cute when he got flustered.

* * *

"Aigis, I'm back from school, and I brought a friend with me!" exclaimed Ken as he entered the house.

Aigis took the cue to put on her blue dress that hid her mechanical features before going to greet Ken. A girl with light brown hair that was braided into two buns was with him. She wore the girl's uniform of Ken's school. Her brown eyes greeted Aigis with a smile.

"Hello, Ken. Is this a schoolmate of yours?" asked Aigis.

"Yes. This is Maiko-san. She's still in the elementary wing of my school, but we spend time together during recess. We've been friends since this school year."

Maiko's eyes brightened as she said:

"Yeah, Ken-kun likes Featherman as much as I do! He even has the limited edition action figures, and we play with them a lot."

Ken blushed.

"It's-it's only sometimes, though. We talk about plenty of other things, too!" he stuttered.

"But mostly Featherman." added Maiko, unaware of his embarrassment.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Maiko-chan. I am Aigis."

Maiko grinned at Aigis and replied cheerfully:

"It's great to meet you too!"

Ken looked around the empty living room before asking:

"Where's everyone else, Aigis?"

"Mitsuru, Kieske and Fuuka went to research something at the Kirijo headquarters, Akihiko went to walk Koromaru and Shinjiro went to work. Minako accompanied him."

"What about Junpei and Chidori-san?"

"Hmm…they seem to be in their room at the moment. Should I let them know you're here?"

"Uh, no thank you; that's fine."

Maiko glanced down at her watch before exclaiming:

"Hurry, Ken-kun! The new episode is about to start!"

She rushed over eagerly to the television, and Ken sighed.

"She came over because our house is closer and we could make it in time to see the episode. I hope it's not a bother, Aigis-chan."

"Of course not. She seems very lovely and I am glad to meet her."

"Ken-kunnnn! It's starting!" yelled Maiko.

Ken's face betrayed his eagerness before he could hide it. He coughed, trying to look neutral before running over and sitting down next to Maiko.

Aigis smiled as she saw the two enjoy the show. She decided that it would be appropriate to provide them a snack, so she opened the refrigerator and searched for one. A minute later, she felt Maiko touch her arm to get her attention.

Aigis felt one of her sensors activate like crazy.

"Excuse me, can I have a glass of water?" asked Maiko politely.

"Yes. I've also provided some fruit for the both of you to replenish your energy."

Maiko took the water and apples and thanked Aigis before rushing back to Ken. Aigis watched her carefully, remembering what she had just learned.

"_Is it possible that she…?" _

Aigis' thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening again, this time showing Minako and Shinjiro. The mechanical maiden went to greet them; she secretly scanned Minako to assure her health was in good condition.

"Good afternoon, Minako and Shinjiro."

"Hi, Aigis! How was your day?" asked Minako cheerfully as Shinjiro shed his coat.

"It was very calm and relaxing. I assume you enjoyed it as well?"

"Yup, although Shinjiro had a bit of a hard day."

"Tch, maybe if I had a bigger staff, the place wouldn't get so overwhelmed when the crowds came in. If it weren't for you helping out, that would've been hell." he told Minako.

Aigis thought for a moment before saying:

"Then why doesn't Minako work there as a waitress? I'm sure it would greatly help your work environment to be more efficient."

Shinjiro frowned.

"No way. The waitresses have to deal with the shit costumers give them every day. It's a pain in the ass. Besides, the uniform—"

"Minako-chan!?"

Minako gasped and turned around as she saw Maiko run up to her and hug her waist. Minako hugged her back, and she had tears of happiness in her eyes.

"Big sister Minako! I can't believe you're here! I heard you got sick and I got so worried! But now you're better and we can play together again!"

Minako laughed at Maiko's excitement as Ken went to see what the fuss was about. The boy gave a questioning look at Shinjiro and Aigis.

"Minako's a friend of hers since she the kid was six. They used to meet at the shrine." explained Shinjiro.

"Ken-kun, you didn't tell me Minako-chan lives here!" accused Maiko.

"Well, I didn't know you two had met." explained Ken defensively.

"So, Maiko; how old are you now? And what are you doing going to school here?" asked Minako.

"Well, mom got a new job that took a lot out of her time. Since she didn't want me to feel lonely, she asked me if I wanted to move back with dad, and I said yes! Oh, and I'm ten now!"

"Oh, you're so big already!" exclaimed Minako.

"Yup! And now that I'm with you again, you gotta buy me takoyaki!" exclaimed Maiko.

"Not today, you've probably already had some." Minako answered with a smile.

"She did. She even finished half of my bowl." said Ken.

"Ken-kun, you tattler!" yelled Maiko.

There was laughter in the room, even as Kieske, Mitsuru and Fuuka entered. They greeted everyone, including Maiko. The girl cheerfully introduced herself to them before hearing the sound of the show come on again.

"Oooo, it's back! Um, excuse me…" said Maiko before running back to the TV.

Luckily (for Ken and his dignity) she dragged Ken with her so the boy wouldn't have to make up another excuse. The adults laughed. Mitsuru then went with Fuuka inside the dining room while Kieske leaned on the counter, grabbing an apple Aigis forgot to put away.

"So, how are things with you guys today?" asked Kieske as Mitsuru and Fuuka began going over research at the table.

"I was just suggesting to Shinjiro that he should consider having Minako as a waitress at the restaurant he works at." replied Aigis.

"And I was telling her that it was a bad idea." answered Shinjiro.

Kieske however, raised his eyebrows and said:

"Actually, I was thinking of that myself. Although, I think Aigis should waitress too. It would be a good thing for both of you girls. Give you something to do, since college isn't an option."

"Are you crazy? Aigis could get discovered." argued Shinjiro.

"The uniform will cover her up." pointed out Kieske as he bit into an apple.

"What is the uniform anyway?" asked Minako.

Kieske swallowed fruit and grinned.

"Now I see what your _real _problem is, Shinjiro. Heh, well my dear Minako, the waitress wear is a bit more old-fashioned…"

"They're maid outfits, Kieske." said Shinjiro bitterly.

"Okay, yeah. But Minako has waitressed before and she'll be working with you. You should be jumping at the chance to work with your adorable girlfriend in maid wear, no less."

It was obvious the beanie-wearing man wasn't convinced. Minako gave him one of her bright smiles and said:

"It'll be perfect! I've wanted to work anyway, and this way we'll be together. And it'll be more fun with Aigis around."

Aigis had been around far too close for Shinjiro's comfort, but he decided not to mention that. And Minako was giving him that big-eyes look that drove him nuts inside. He sighed. Women were terrible, especially this one.

"_I can never win with her." _he thought.

"Alright, you win. You both start tomorrow. But it's my kitchen, my rules, you got that?"

He got a "Yes, sir!" from both girls and a grin from Kieske.

"You don't have to look so smug, you bastard. You're the one who forced those uniforms on the place." grumbled Shinjiro.

"But they're so popular with the costumers; everyone likes to waited on by maids and butlers. I mean, as the guy who represents Kirijo and helped fund the restauraunt I have to do my job." he replied with fake innocence.

Minako couldn't help but notice the exasperation Shinjiro had on his face. And she also couldn't help but be amused by the situation, either.

* * *

**11:50 p.m.**

Minako read her watch again, just to make sure, before looking down at the mask in her hands. She then tugged on the collar of her new full-body battle suit until it felt more comfortable. It was strange to wear, but she didn't have much of a choice but to use it. At the very least, hers was red.

Mitsuru had decided to provide something more battle-efficient for the girls, seeing as how their regular clothes were "inappropriate for battle". She had provided something for the guys too, but none of them wanted to wear them. In the words of Junpei, it looked "too gay" to wear that material as a guy and he rather have worn his normal clothes. Akihiko already wore his battle "outfit" (which was just a red cape, long pants and hiking boots along with his fighting gloves) while Ken and Shinjiro decided there was no point in changing into anything special either. Kieske didn't change either, but he always put on metal plates over his chest and back as armor.

Koromaru wore a dog shirt with chibi angel wings, but it was more for adorableness than anything else. Although, his collar was a different thing, as it helped him summon his Persona.

"Alright, is everyone ready? We will be entering Lazarus in a manner of minuets." announced Mitsuru in her black suit.

"Mitsuru, do you really have to wear that fur coat to battle? A Shadow could end up ripping it apart." pointed out Kieske.

Mitsuru adjusted the white (and fake) fur she had on before answering:

"I've worn it countless times before and it has never given me trouble. You of all people should know that."

Kieske couldn't help but shake his head and smile. He could hear the sound of Junpei rummaging around for his sword.

"Hey, has anyone seen my sword? I could've sworn I left it leaning on the door!" hollered Junpei.

"It's here, Junpei! I had to move it because Fuuka almost tripped on it!" yelled Yukari as she adjusted her heart chocker over the collar of her pink suit.

"Oh, seriously? Sorry Fuuka!" he replied as he came back into view and took his heavy black broadsword.

"Please don't worry about it. I'm fine." assured Fuuka.

All the while, Minako twirled her naginata with one hand as she got a feel for her new weapon (her old one was too short, so they had given her this one instead). Just when she thought she had gotten the hang of it, it slipped from her hand and went flying. She had everyone's attention now and they saw the weapon fly towards and hit Aigis' back. The poor robot lost her balance, and the _thud_ of her body hitting the floor was heard. Minako felt her face grow as red as her eyes. She quickly went to help Aigis up.

"S-s-sorry, Aigis! Are you alright?" she stuttered.

"Yes, do not worry. My armor is very resistant to physical attacks. You did not harm me."

"Oh, thank goodness…"

"You okay? You seem nervous." said Akihiko as he gave Minako her naginata.

"Maybe a little. I guess I'm more out of practice than I thought."

"It's just been a while since your body has gotten into battle. You just need to train and you'll be back in top form in no time. You should consider a training regime like mine."

"Dude, no one but you can pull off your insane training routine. You almost killed me that one day." said Junpei.

"Tch, I don't know why; it was a light session. Just a run around town, a hundred push-ups, and I even put the crunches down to fifty."

"Wait, you mean you do more than that every day?" asked Yukari in astonishment.

Akihiko was mildly confused at her words.

"Well, my body isn't going to get stronger if I slack off."

Mitsuru cleared her throat, bringing the attention back to mission preparation.

"Are you sure you don't want to recover more of your strength first?" she asked Minako. "If you feel you're not prepared…"

"Don't worry; I'm as ready as I'll ever be." replied the red-eyed woman.

Everyone else in the room smiled or grinned at this. Their leader was just as dependable as always.

"Alright! We have less than a minute before midnight! Everyone get ready!" announced Mitsuru.

Everyone held the masks (Fuuka was going to help Koromaru with his, seeing as he couldn't put it on himself) and turned their gazes to the clock on the wall. The room grew so silent that all anyone could hear was each other's breathing and the light ticking sound of the clock.

5 seconds…

Junpei gripped the hilt of his sword, while Yukari made sure her supply of arrows were strapped around her back.

4 seconds…

Ken held his spear with both hands. Koromaru grabbed the kunai he used with his mouth. Fuuka made sure to ready the masks.

3 seconds…

Mitsuru held her rapier in place and Kieske grabbed his twin blades. Akihiko felt a wicked grin as the adrenaline he had been holding in pumped through his veins.

2 seconds…

Shinjiro tightened his grip on his axe. He kept Minako in his sight, determined not to lose track of her again. Minako's expression was one of a calm determination. She felt her heart beat nervously in her chest.

1 second…

"Now!" exclaimed Mitsuru.

The masks were put on at the exact moment the clock stroke twelve. They all felt light, as if they were floating. All their eyes closed involuntarily…

In the literal blink of an eye, they found themselves standing at the entrance of their old dorm's lobby. The ex-members of SEES found themselves looking around the place they once called home.

"Wow! You were right, Minako; it looks just like it did during the Dark Hour!" gasped Fuuka.

"Hey, there's even that staircase that leads to our rooms!" added Junpei as he peeked up the stairs.

"This is amazing." whispered Ken.

"Seeing this brings me back to old times…" said Akihiko as he grinned.

Shinjiro, even though still at bad terms with him, had to agree with a smile as he saw the dorm kitchen.

Now that she was calmer and had time to take in her surroundings, Minako realized that this was the first place she felt at home in since she woke up. Despite the fact that it still had the eerie atmosphere, she actually could say she was more relaxed. Koromaru seemed to share her feelings, because he was wagging his tail and looking up at Minako happily. She petted him, and he barked, allowing the knife to fall from his mouth.

"Koromaru says: 'I'm happy to be back here.'" translated Aigis.

"I must say…it's reassuring to be here. But…that's enough reminiscing. We have to remember what we came for." said Mitsuru.

Kieske, who had already stretched his legs on the sofa, frowned.

"Already? Oh, alright…"

Junpei went to Minako, realizing something.

"Hey, Minako; didn't you say Ryoji was around?" he asked.

"…Actually, I've been here all along."

"Whoa!" exclaimed Junpei.

Ryoji literally materialized out of the darkness, making Junpei almost jumped out of his skin. The boy of death quickly became the center of attention. Especially to Kieske, who screamed:

"Oh, shit; he's back!"

He grabbed one of his swords and prepared to throw it when Junpei stopped him.

"Dude, he's not the Appriser here, remember? Chill out!"

"Oh…right."

As everyone else greeted Ryoji, Shinjiro observed him quietly. He knew it wasn't the guy's fault he was an entity of Death, but Shinjiro still greatly disliked him. He remembered when Minako had talked to him one day at the lounge in the SEES dorm:

"_I'm not sure you'd believe it if I told you about this friend."_

"_Why's that?" asked Shinjiro with a smile._

"_Well…he's a boy. He always has stripped clothing on. He has black hair and the strangest eyes. But the_ _thing about him is that…he's not human." _

He did not relish knowing that some strange-ass kid appeared out of the darkness two times a month just to talk to Minako before fading back into the shadows. He also did not like the fact that it was always when Minako was sleeping. She said she'd always wake up as soon as he appeared, but Heaven knows how long the kid stood there. Yet what truly bothered him was what Yukari told him later: that the kid turned into a teenager that was in love with Minako.

Like there weren't enough guys who wanted to go after her already.

"It's good to see you all alive and well. I'm also happy to see that you've allowed your 'heart' to live for you, Aigis." said Ryoji.

She smiled. Ryoji returned it before becoming serious.

"I'd love to keep talking, but I know you're all here for a reason. I should warn you: the giant Shadow might not come until the next full moon, but the regular Shadows here are very vicious. Not to mention, there are other Persona-users here."

It wasn't lost on them that Ryoji had just said "Persona-users".

"Other Persona-users? I thought there was just one." commented Minako.

Ryoji shook his head.

"There are four of them. You just meet one. Fuuka, with your power, you'll probably be able to sense them."

"Oh! I suppose I'll summon Juno and check…"

Fuuka took out her Evoker, the gun-shaped tool that would summon her Persona.

"I don't think that's going to work here, Fuuka." said Minako.

Fuuka blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"You can't use your Evokers here; they won't work. You have to summon your Persona by yourselves." explained Ryoji.

"Seriously!? But I've never done that before!" exclaimed Yukari.

"I don't think any of us have…" added Fuuka.

"Except Minako. Right, sis?" asked Kieske.

She nodded.

"Then show us how it's done."

Aware that all eyes were now on her, she nervously closed her eyes to concentrate. Just when she began to wonder if she could pull it off again, she felt the familiar presence of power inside her soul. All she had to do was let it out.

"Uh, maybe we shouldn't put so much pressure on her…" began Yukari.

"Persona!"

Yukari and Fuuka gasped as they saw Messiah emerge from Minako and float behind her.

Minako smiled.

"Alright, now it's your guys' turn. Don't worry…it's not hard."

* * *

_Somewhere in Lazarus…._

A lone figure sat on a broken building next to a sea of blood. She grabbed a wine bottle she had nearby and began drinking, not stopping until she consumed half of it. She let out a hiccup before setting her bottle down. She remained still as if listening to something. Satisfied, she allowed another hiccup.

"Hunh…weird. So, there are more of them. Interesting…"

"Enjoying yourself?"

The woman sighed as she turned to the voice of who she knew to be the last person she wanted to see. She made no effort to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"I was. Then you came. What the hell do you want, Kurama?"

He approached her, but stopped a few feet away.

"The Seal of Nyx has been broken and she is free once more. Surely you have noticed Nyx has entered this world?"

"Obviously.

Kurama frowned at her uninterested behavior.

"Then you know what this means. The Seal has come as well. She is a woman, and she's seeking Nyx." he insisted.

"Uh-huh."

She took another gulp of wine. Kurama felt his temper rise.

"Then you understand that I want your help so I can eliminate her before she does anything to stop the Fall again."

"And you finally get to the reason for bothering me."

She finished her wine before tossing the bottle into the red sea. She then jumped down and faced Kurama, her face concealed by the darkness.

"The answer is no, Kurama."

His face grew twisted with rage, and she saw him clench his fists.

"Don't be a fool. You know what the Fall means for us! Nyx is our savior, and we must protect the way to her rebirth! The 'Great Seal' is nothing more than a weakling who can easily be killed!"

"Two things. One: I'm not getting anywhere near Nyx and I am not getting involved with anything that has to do with Nyx. Two: You're insane, and I'm not making the mistake of helping you with anything. Let butler boy and Miss. Idol Wannabe look for them. And killing off weaklings is for cowards. So, shockingly, the answer is still no."

She turned to leave without even waiting for an answer. She knew that in most cases, turning her back to an angry Kurama meant getting stabbed in the back.

But with her, she knew he wouldn't dare.

"We are so close yet you still refuse to join us to claim what is ours!? Sooner or later, you'll realize that is our fate!" he yelled.

She stopped, looking back.

"Don't hold your breath, Kurama. It'd be a shame if you died of affixation."

Then she left, literally vanishing into thin air.

* * *

"Alright! This is awesome!" exclaimed Junpei.

Junpei was running around with his Persona, Trismegestis, hovering behind him. Everyone else had their Personas with them as well, ready to strike when necessary. So far, there was no sign of Shadows, but Fuuka assured them they were in the area.

"Are there any other Persona-users around, Fuuka?" asked Minako.

"Well, I'm sure they're not in the area…but I can't pinpoint their exact location. And I can only sense three others, not four."

"Maybe the other one died or something." said Kieske.

"Or perhaps he or she is hiding her presence." pointed out Mitsuru.

"That's true." agreed Yukari.

"However, as long as they are not in the area, we can worry about that later." added Mitsuru.

Fuuka assured everyone that there weren't any of them around.

"Hey, Fuuka; where are the Shadows? I'm itching for a fight!" exclaimed Akihiko as he cracked his fists.

The sword his Persona, Caesar, held was crackling with electricity. Kieske, walking with a Persona that looked like a Greek warrior, said:

"For once, we agree on something. It's been too long since me an' Hercules busted some Shadows out of existence."

Hercules hovered solemnly with a giant broadsword and a toga. Everything about him was gold; his sandals, armor and eyes. The Persona had bulging muscles, despite the fact that his best attacks were his Almighty ones.

"I don't think you'll have to wait anymore. They're coming!" yelled Ken.

Indeed, a group of Shadows seemed to have noticed them. The monsters made a beeline towards the group; they all seemed to belong to the Fool, Magician or Priestess Arcana. The sound of disgusting, ooze-like beings slithering towards them was enough to make any person's hair stand on end.

But not the former members of SEES.

They all waited for Minako's orders. She couldn't help but smile as she was taken back to her times in Tartarus before beginning her string of commands.

"Fuuka, I want you to scan all enemies; start with the closest ones! Ken, stand by Fuuka and protect her from any Shadows along with Koromaru. Yukari and Aigis, give support when it's needed. Aigis, you can help raise our stats right away. Attack when you're not busy supporting. The rest of you…Charge!"

"Roger!"

"Okay!"

"Understood!"

"Yeah!"

All orders were followed as Minako charged forward along with the offensive team to meet the Shadows. There was the sound of battle cries as they clashed with the first few monsters.

"Let's do this! Caesar, Ziodyne!"

Strong bolts of electricity hit various Shadows, killing some in the process. Junpei pumped his fists in the air and used a more physical attack:

"Brave Blade!"

Trismegestis sliced through lines of Shadows. Meanwhile, Yukari's Persona was knocking away Shadows with her Garu attacks. Mitsuru's Artemesia was assaulting with icicle attacks that were taking out enemies like dominoes. Shinjiro's Persona, Castor, was taking down Shadows with its brutal physical attacks while the explosive sound of Hercules' Almighty skills were heard. Not to mention, more than a few Shadows were caught in Kali-Nemi's and Cerberus' Hama and Mudo attacks. Aigis fulfilled her role as Athena raised everyone's agility and strength...not to mention she destroyed any Shadows in her way.

Occasionally, they would hear Fuuka's voice saying things like:

"The enemy's weakness is fire and ice attacks won't affect it. Oh, this one seems to be vulnerable to wind attacks! Be careful; this enemy isn't affected by physical attacks!"

Like the pieces of a puzzle that fall into place, the old team that hadn't fought together for years worked as an unstoppable force with Minako leading the way. Any foe that was left untouched became completely annihilated by Minako and Messiah. In a matter of an hour, the entire area was explored without any injury from anyone.

They all took the time to catch their breaths before Junpei commented:

"Ha, ha! Minako-tan, that was awesome! It's like we never stopped training at Tartarus!"

"Yeah, I can't remember the last time I got such a great workout." said Akihiko.

"Don't thank me; you guys fought hard." she replied.

"Modest as always." said Yukari with a grin.

"It seems like we have explored the entire area. We couldn't have done it without you, Minako." commented Aigis.

Minako blushed a bit, smiling. It felt good to finally feel like herself again.

"Great job, everyone. I have a good layout of the area now; we should be able to find the giant Shadow when it comes in no time. We should rest for now." announced Fuuka.

"I agree. We did better than I had expected, although we shouldn't get too confident. After all, we still don't know the power of our enemies." said Mitsuru.

"Oh yeah? Well let any Shadow or Persona-user be dumb enough to attack us! We'll kick their ass!" exclaimed Kieske.

Junpei agreed just as energetically. Mitsuru could only shake her head and smile.

"Come on, let's go back already; I'm exhausted." whined Yukari.

"That's right; Minako and Aigis start working tomorrow! You two have to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for your first day." said Kieske.

"Huh? You two got a job?" asked Ken in curiosity while Junpei showed similar interest.

"Ooo, where? Whoa, don't tell me it's at Shinjiro's restaurant! Aw, man that's going to be so—"

Junpei stopped dead when he saw Shinjiro's harsh warning glare pierce him. He swallowed before quickly saying:

"Uh, good for you two! Heh, heh…um, can we go home now, Minako?"

Minako grinned before saying that they could. Everyone took off their masks and disappeared from the strange world. A few moments later, two people revealed themselves from their hiding spot on the roof of a building near to where the group had been.

They were quite the pair. The woman wore a beautiful and elegant ball gown that looked like it came straight from a fairy tale. Her hair was no different; long, and voluminous wavy curls the color of cotton candy with a gold band over the fringe of hair on her forehead. When one added the pink and red roses that adorned her hair and dress, along with her glamorous make-up, she looked like a goddess straight out of a movie. The man was more modestly dressed; he wore black and elegant pants and a tuxedo vest over a lavender blazer. His bowtie was black, and his eyes were a dark brown; the same color as the woman. His hair was blonde, with a tuft of hair parted in the front.

"Tch, they left. And just when I was going to get Kurama…" said the woman.

"There's no need to rush, Sophia. The chance will come during the full moon." replied the man.

Sophia tossed her hair back, clearly annoyed.

"Well, I for one want to get this over with. They didn't even look like much to deal with, anyway. If Kurama didn't nay say it, I would've been able to kill them all myself."

"…Sophia…do we really have to do this? These people haven't done anything to us…"

"Oh, Eden. Don't start this nonsense again. You heard what Kurama told us. They're in the way of what we deserve. We need to let the Fall happen."

"Sophia, you know we can't trust him anymore. He's changed ever since—"

"Don't you dare go there! You know how I feel about him and yet you continue to say these things!? I'm following him, and that's final. Can I count on you, or not?"

Eden paused, his gaze meeting the ground. Of course, he already knew his answer.

"You're my older sister, Sophia. You know I'll always stay by your side."

She smiled, secretly in relief, before saying:

"Good. Now let's go to our house. It's almost our tea time."

Without another word, he held her hand and in the blink of an eye they vanished.

* * *

The next day…

"This is it. Like I said, the place ain't that impressive."

Minako couldn't help but feel that Shinjiro's words were the understatement of the century. They were at the Iwatodai strip mall, standing in front of a building with two cherry blossom trees on both sides of the entrance. There was a sign that had a cherry blossom flower pattern in the background reading _Sakura Restaurant_ and calming instrumental music could be heard. The building itself was painted a deep red, and it was neat and clean. The brunette grinned as she smelled the familiar scent of the blossoms she loved so much in the air.

"In my opinion, I think this restaurant is a very pleasant place. You allow it and yourself too little credit. Don't you agree, Minako?"

"I love it. Cherry blossoms are my favorite." she replied dreamily.

Shinjiro shook his head, hiding the smile he felt coming on.

"_I know. That's why I wanted it to be like this…so you'd have something nice to come back to." _he thought before saying:

"You haven't even gotten inside yet and you're already this impressed? Tch, you really are just the same as I remembered."

He led them inside. It was almost 7 a.m., and Minako watched a handful of chefs, waitresses and waiters bustle about as they prepared to open the restaurant. Now that Minako thought about it, there really wasn't as much people needed to wait tables as there should've been for such a big place. She could only see about five of them, not including herself and Aigis.

"Ah, uhm, good morning, Aragaki-san! I'm here to report to work again!"

Aigis and Minako turned towards the mousy voice that spoke and saw a blue-haired woman about Minako's age approach. Her round and black glasses were crooked on her face. Judging by the stray hairs coming out of the thick ponytail on her head, the girl seemed to have come in a hurry. She wore the maid outfit as well.

Shinjiro gave a surprised look before scowling and saying:

"What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be on your vacation break."

"W-well I heard that we were understaffed again, so I decided to cut it short and help."

"…It shouldn't manner to you if you were on your vacation. We would've figured somethin' out."

He sighed before adding:

"But since you're here already, I guess I'm wasting my breath. These two are on their first day of the job. Show them how things are done and help them out whenever they need it. I gotta get in the kitchen…"

He then left, leaving the girl, Minako and Aigis together. The girl stretched out her hand, introducing herself.

"I'm Ami Hazono. I've been working at this place almost as soon as it opened, so you can count on me to help you out! Um, so what are your names?"

Aigis shook her hand and replied:

"I am Aigis and this is Minako. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ami-san."

"You too! Oh, wait! You wouldn't happen to be Minako Arisato, would you?" she asked, regarding Minako with a curious look.

"Yes, that's me."

Her eyes widened and she gasped.

"Oh my goodness! I heard all about you from Aragaki-san! Well, actually, he never really talked about it, but I found out. Anyway! I'm so glad you're alright! Oh, you two must be so happy to be back together! It's just like something out of an anime!"

She then proceeded to wipe her eyes, which had gotten teary, while Aigis and Minako gave each other looks. She was a strange one, alright.

"Pardon me, Ami-san, but shouldn't we prepare? It seems as if the restaurant is about to open." said Aigis.

"Huh? Oh, you're right! Uh, let me give you a quick run-down! Err, follow me!"

They began to follow when Minako felt a familiar voice ring in her head:

"_Thou art I and I art thee. Thou now has the power over Personas of the Temperance Arcana." _

"Is something the matter, Minako?" asked Aigis as she regarded Minako curiously.

"Nope, everything's just fine."

After Minako reassured them, Ami quickly showed them the works of the place. In what seemed like minuets, the restaurant opened and the first customers of the morning came in. The two girls diligently worked the entire day, sharing their lunch break with Shinjiro. Minako felt satisfied, not only because she was happy to be working with Shinjiro. She had gained a new friend and access to another part of her power.

"Hey! Let's go. The work day's over." announced Shinjiro as he waited for the two girls.

"We're coming!" answered Minako.

"Do we go home now? Or will we be buying food for everyone first?" asked Aigis.

"Tch, hell no. I'll just cook something as usual." said Shinjiro.

"Aren't you tired, though?" questioned Minako.

"I don't mind. Besides, if I don't they'll all just buy junk food."

"Well, we're still a lot of people. So! I'm helping you cook tonight and I'm not taking 'no' as an answer!"

Shinjiro grinned. He pulled her to her side, and whispered so that Aigis couldn't hear:

"You know I can never say no to you."

She blushed, especially after Aigis commented:

"Shinjiro-san, are you implying that Minako dominates over you in all areas of your relationship?"

He turned red, wishing he'd stop underestimating Aigis' abilities as a robot. He was barely able to reply to her out of being so flustered.

"Uh…look, let's just change the subject…"

"You shouldn't feel ashamed. It is often the male that ends up being lead by the woman, mostly out of the control she holds over the male's sexual desire—"

"Don't say it like that! Just drop it, okay!?"

Minako laughed before closing her eyes. Just like so many others, she wanted to keep this memory with her forever.

"_It can't get better than this. No matter what…I'll never regret this second chance. Never…"_

* * *

_Lazarus, two days before the full moon…_

"Be careful; the Guardian of this area is right ahead!" announced Fuuka.

Minako, Shinjiro, Koromaru, Mitsuru and Kieske advanced forward with the rest of the team close behind for back-up. It wasn't long before they saw it approach. At first glance it was a scorpion, donning the mask of the Magician. A closer look, however, showed that it had two claws on each side, wicked things coated with poison. But of all its characteristics, the most terrifying feature was the giant stinger it swung menacingly over its head.

"Fuuka, give us a scan of the enemy as fast as you can." ordered Minako calmly.

"Roger, I'll have it done soon."

"It seems like this enemy has the ability to inflict poison. We'll have to stay on our guard." observed Mitsuru.

Kieske whirled his twin blades before slicing a blue Arcana card and summoning his Persona.

"This'll be cake."

Shinjiro lifted his axe and struck his card to call upon his Persona, Castor. He kept Minako in the corner of his eye as he said:

"Let's get this over with."

"Indeed." agreed Mitsuru.

Artemisia heeded her summon, whip in hand.

The Shadow lunged, faster than the eye could follow, at Minako. Minako grasped her power, and Messiah bounced the monster back. The sound of it breaking the concrete resonated in the air.

"Geez, Minako. Leave something for the rest of us." said Kieske.

"It's coming back! Brace yourselves!" exclaimed Mitsuru.

But before it even reached them, Castor's lance sliced the monster's face.

"Back off!" yelled Shinjiro.

An inhuman shriek came from it as blood was drawn. Its blank face turned its attention towards Shinjiro. It crouched down low, tensing its body. Then it lunged, launching its stinger at him. Shinjiro tried to dodge, but it grazed him. He cursed as he felt a burning sensation from the cut. His worse fear was confirmed when Fuuka exclaimed:

"Shinjiro-san is poisoned!"

It raised its head and suddenly Mitsuru found herself hit by an Agi attack. Because she was exposed to her weakness, she was knocked to the ground. It took the opening to lunge at her, but it had its legs cut from under him by Kieske.

"Get away from my wife, you piece of crap!"

Its stinger smacked his to the side, stunning him as he hit the ground.

"Axel!" cried Mitsuru.

"Fuuka, what's the enemy's weakness!?" yelled Minako.

"Almost have it…ah! Its weakness is ice! Mitsuru-san is going to need to use her Bufu skills!"

"Got it!" yelled the leader before tossing a small vial to Koromaru. "Give this to Shinjiro! I'll take care of the Shadow!"

Koromaru barked and took the vial with his teeth. Minako blocked a claw from attacking her with her naginata. She whirled it at the Shadow but it quickly jumped back. Quick to sense a counterattack, Minako dodged what would've been a direct hit from its stinger. She swung it at the creature's body, cutting its side. It shrieked once again, and tried smacking her with its claws. She was smarter, however, and merely hit it with a powerful Almighty attack.

Meanwhile, Kieske had put himself together and helped Mitsuru up. They saw Koromaru give the antidote to a weakened Shinjiro before Kieske said:

"Axel and everything, huh?"

Mitsuru smirked.

"It is your first name. I don't understand why you insist on everyone calling you by you last one."

"Yeah, well you know I only let you call me that in private. Besides, you're the one who's big on formality. " he muttered with a blush.

She was about to reply, but she saw Shinjiro and Koromaru run over to help Minako with the cornered Shadow.

"In any case, we'll discuss this later. We should finish this."

He agreed, and Mitsuru stood ready in front of the Shadow after it received an All-Out Attack from the three. She pointed her rapier at the monster and yelled:

"Artemisa, Bufundyne!"

A blizzard of giant shards of ice assaulted the Shadow, freezing it after suffering the terrible attack. Kieske took his cue and leaped in the air before slashing it in half. It broke into pieces when it hit the floor before the Shadow itself dissolved in thin air. They stood still, waiting until Fuuka spoke to confirm their victory.

"I don't sense the Guardian's presence anymore. Good work, everyone!"

"All in a day's work." said Kieske.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Minako, eyeing Shinjiro in concern.

"Yes, we're fine, although I believe Shinjiro could use some assistance." answered Mitsuru.

"I'm fine; it's no big deal."

The steady sound of clapping stopped Minako from saying her reply. Everyone was shocked to see a raven-haired man stand behind them when he clearly had not been there before. He was clapping lazily, a mocking gleam in his crimson eyes. Minako tightened the grip on her naginata as she felt her body prepare for offensive action.

"Impressive…I was almost certain that the Shadow would be too much for you to handle. Clearly, you're all not as pathetic as I had thought."

"Who are you? How did you get past Juno!?" asked Fuuka.

Kurama scoffed, regarding Fuuka with a spiteful look.

"Do you honestly believe that your power is greater than mine? You sensed me because I allowed you to, foolish girl."

Akihiko took in the scene before realizing why Minako looked so tense. He stepped forward, glaring at Kurama.

"You were the one that attacked Minako."

Kurama grinned, replying:

"Yes…although unfortunately, I was unable to finish the job. However, I plan to fix that tonight."

Shinjiro stepped in front of Minako, axe in hand.

"That ain't gonna happen." he told the dark man.

"Yeah, you're going to have to get through us first!" exclaimed Junpei.

"That's right!" agreed Ken.

There was a shift in the atmosphere as everyone grabbed or raised their weapons. All around her, Minako saw her friends prepare to fight. Without another word, she stood in front of her team, nodding to Fuuka. Taking her cue, she summoned Juno, her Persona. Kurama laughed.

"Do you truly think you can stand against me? Very well…allow me to crush all of you like the insects you are!"

He summoned his Persona, and Fuuka gasped as soon as it emerged.

"His power…it's unbelievable! Be careful, he's really dangerous!" she yelled.

Minako didn't reply, but the fire in her eyes said it all. She wasn't powerless anymore and he was about to regret messing with her. He took out his chain scythe and he was immediately upon them. Akihiko stood ready, his fists raised. As Kurama approached, he launched his right fist straight at Kurama's face.

At the last second, the raven-haired man dodged. They had barely seen him move. In a matter of a few more seconds, Akihiko and Shinjiro found themselves down knocked down and stunned. . Ken, Yukari and Junpei were made short work of soon after. All the while Kurama didn't falter at the least, even as the white blur of Koromaru lunged at him.

"A creature with a Persona. Amusing."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he smacked the little dog quite a few feet away. Koromaru could only yelp in pain as he impacted the ground.

"Koro-chan!" gasped Fuuka.

"You'll regret that!" yelled Kieske as he slashed at Kurama at an impressive speed.

The man effortlessly dodged both blades before sending Kieske flying into Ken. Mitsuru's Persona send its whip flying at Hades, but she was hit by an Almighty attack that left her breathless on the ground. He ran towards Aigis and Ken, whom were mere feet away. Ken raised his sphere, even though he knew his chances of lasting against this man were slim.

"Aigis, Ken-kun, watch out!" warned Fuuka.

"You will pay for harming my friends!" screamed Aigis before jumping back and shooting a rocket at him.

An explosion occurred, and the robot had to grab Ken to get him out of harm's way. Everyone else was barely able to avoid the aftermath of Aigis' attack. They all quickly got back on their feet as the smoke began to clear.

"Yikes, a little extreme…but I guess it was necessary." commented Junpei.

"What if that doesn't hurt him?" asked Ken.

"No, it hit him; I'm sure of it." said Fuuka.

"Look!" exclaimed Yukari.

Fuuka had told the truth; the man was still in the same spot where he had stood when Aigis shot the projectile.

But he was still standing. The only sign of any injury was the streak of blood dripping from the side of his mouth and a scorch mark on his cheek.

"What…what the hell is he!?" asked Akihiko.

In front of their very eyes, the burn on his face healed. Kurama wiped the blood off his face with a maniacal grin. His eyes were now set on Minako; she merely met his glare with a determined one of her own.

"Are these your allies, little Seal? Let me tell you: they are weak." said Kurama before chuckling. "I have lived in this place my entire life. I am far more blessed by Nyx than any of you could ever fathom. None of you can even come close to my power!"

Minako twirled her naginata around and took a stance in front of him.

"Enough talk." she said.

He grinned as Hades clenched his fist and Minako found herself in the middle of a dark circle of what she assumed was a Mudo skill.

"If you are so eager to die before your fated time, then I will gladly oblige."

Only Shinjiro was bothered by his words. They could've meant something so meaningless, yet he had the feeling that there was a darker meaning to them.

"_Fated time? What does he mean?" _he thought.

As his thoughts swam on, he watched Minako and was prepared to intervene until he saw her expression. She didn't show any signs of distress; on the contrary, she seemed like she was in control of the situation. As the black fire appeared and the circle prepared to close in on her, she said:

"Fuuka."

"Y-yes! I'm ready!"

Kurama's face twisted in confusion as the circle closed itself in around Minako. At the very last second, she leaped out of it. She extended her hand towards Kurama and screamed:

"Messiah! God's Hand!"

An enormous fist, summoned by Messiah, appeared out of the sky and hit Kurama dead-on. He screamed in pain and barely had time to leap out of the way of Minako's naginata.

"H-how…?" gasped Kurama.

Minako smiled.

"My friends aren't as weak as you say. They all have their strengths…now! We're going All-Out!"

They all rushed at Kurama at once; he could only stay on the defensive as the descended upon him. He struggled, barely able to block everyone's ongoing attacks. A few long moments passed, and he knew he was about to be in deep trouble. Just as they were about to open his defenses, Minako saw an angry gleam in his eye. She tried to warn everyone, but she was too late.

"Megidolaon!" screamed the furious man.

Minako and her team were blown back, hitting the ground hard. She took a few seconds to get to her senses. She was relieved to see that Fuuka, being far from the battle, was unharmed. But immediately afterwards she saw Kurama slowly but angrily approach Fuuka.

"You…I see. It seems like I underestimated your abilities to see beyond. You've uncovered my weakness, even if it is only temporary. It seems like I'll have to rid myself of you first."

Fuuka's wide eyes were filled with fear. Minako scrambled to her feet as the others got to their own senses. She knew that Fuuka was literally incapable of defending herself; her Persona had no offensive skills. She ran towards her, summoning Messiah once again. A strange, black spear materialized into Hades' hand. Minako began storing her power as she struggled to get between them.

Her foot skid on a puddle of blood and she fell face-first onto the floor. She saw Fuuka turn and run, but knew it would do nothing to help her. Hades flexed its arm back before launching the strange spear. Instead of flying out of its hand, it stretched out at a lightning fast speed towards Fuuka.

Her scream echoed in the air.

Yukari put her hands to her mouth, and everyone else was speechless. There was no blood, but they could all see the spear lodged in the woman's chest.

"N…nuh, no…" whispered Yukari in shock as she took in the horrible scene in front of her.

"No!" cried Shinjiro.

Minako was suspended in the air, the arrow immobilizing her. Behind her, Messiah was in the exact same state, with the same arrow in its chest. Fuuka was on the ground behind her, physically unharmed. But her face was a white sheet with eyes widened in a terror that matched Shinjiro's. Minako was twitching and her face was full of panic.

Once again, Kurama's laughter brought everyone's attention back to him. He triumphantly turned to them.

"It seems as if things had gone much better than I had planned."

"Release her at once!" screamed Mitsuru.

"Ah, I'm afraid it's too late. She is at Death's doorstep now."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" yelled Shinjiro as he ran towards Kurama with his axe raised. Everyone else followed suit.

"Castor!"

Shinjiro's Persona barely touched Kurama when an unseen force blew him back, slamming him into the ground. Minako opened her mouth, probably to cry out his name, but no sound came from it. She could only watch as he struggled to get up, only to fall back on his knees and look up at his girlfriend, anguish and desperation written all over his face. The sound of a strong gust of wind caused him to turn back, just in time to see everyone forced on the floor by some Garu attack. Kurama seemed mildly interested at the sight of it.

"I should've known you'd decide to join us, Sophia." he remarked.

She and Eden were standing on the building behind Fuuka. The blue aura that indicated the summoning of a Persona was already fading. Sophia smiled at him, while Eden's face remained expressionless as he watched the scene below him.

"Of course. I didn't want to miss the best part." she replied.

"Let her go! She hasn't done anything to you!" pleaded Junpei.

Sophia rolled her eyes while Eden turned his head away from the sight.

"Stupid weaklings. No one can stop it now. Kurama's attack is perfect. Go ahead, Kurama."

A wicked grin spread across his face before he answered:

"My pleasure."

All at once he made a single backwards motion with his arm, and Messiah was ripped out of Minako in a flash. For one seemingly endless moment, Minako was still in the air. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open; the signs of a scream that never reached anyone's ears. Then, like a porcelain doll, she went limp and plummeted towards the ground.

**Oh, thank God…finally finished this chapter! I'm sorry about the fact that the first Shadow fight hasn't come up yet…but this chapter turned out longer than I thought. But it will happen in the next chapter, this time for sure! So long for now! **


End file.
